A Painful Past And Permanent Reminders
by AUS Wild Thing
Summary: Seven years after the bloody events of the Cell games, Gohan has been sent to High-school with his memories firm in his mind. Meanwhile Videl tries to understand the enigma that is Son Gohan, and begins to uncover things she never thought she would. No Saiyaman or Gold Fighter, Gohan is slightly OOC. Gh/Vi pairing.
1. Long Hallways

Chapter 1 – Long hallways.

The sound of the alarm was deafening, Gohan groaned in agony as the ear piercing screech continued. Sighing in defeat, Gohan reached out and stopped the alarm, '_7:00 Am'_ he thought to himself, '_Do I have to do this every morning?'_

It was Monday, the day Gohan would officially go to school for the first time, despite the seventeen year olds best efforts, he was unable to convince his mother that he didn't need to go to school. But being the stubborn woman she is, Chichi refused to allow her son to be a "Delinquent who spends his time fighting" as she put it. Rising from his bed, Gohan walked over to his cupboard and pulled out a dark blue T-Shirt, fresh boxers and some loose fitting jeans and preceded to the bathroom, the thought of a warm shower seemed very refreshing.

After his shower, Gohan walked to the kitchen, where he found his mother cooking up a meal that only a Saiyan could eat, the scent of the food was enough to make Gohans mouth water, and he wasted little time in devouring the food until there wasn't even a crumb left in sight. "Gohan you'd better get going" Chichi stated "Your principal said you have to arrive half an hour early to get your schedule".

Nodding his head in agreement, Gohan stood up from the table and gave his mum a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving for his first day as a normal student. "Thanks mum, breakfast was great as usual, I'll see you after school" he called as he took off into the sky.

The 500 mile journey to Satan City took just under 20 minutes, Gohan landed in an alley and continued to school on foot to hide his powers as Chichi instructed. Gohan did not understand why he would have to hide his powers, but he knew better than to disobey his mother.

Upon arriving at school, Gohan made his way directly to the Principals office. "You must be Son Gohan, am I right" the principal asked.

"Yes I am, it's a pleasure to meet you sir" Gohan replied, remembering his manners.

"No, the pleasures all mine; I have never witnessed a student of your intelligence. You managed perfect scores on all your entry exams, I can assure you, we are proud to have you here" Gohan just smiled nervously, he never liked to be in the spotlight.

"Anyway" The principal continued as he reached under his desk and produced a sheet of paper and a map, "This here is your timetable and locker number, and a map in case you get lost. Class starts in ten minutes so you better get going" he explained.

"Thank-you very much sir" Gohan said as he began his first day of school.

After exiting the office, and entering the long halls Gohan was in shock, here in front of him was a sea of students, all talking to one another and rushing to their next classes. The occasional student would give Gohan a quick glance, Gohan wanted to keep out of sight on his first day, but being so tall meant this was impossible. He walked nervously through the halls trying not to make eye contact, counting the lockers, Gohan finally reached his.

As he began to pile his books in his locker, a buff meathead (No, not Sharpener) with brown hair stood beside Gohan, looking him up and down and glaring at him. Gohan gave the strange boy a questioning glance. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"You the new kid?" the jock asked

Gohan just shrugged, before responding with a simple "Yes"

"You got perfect scores didn't ya?"

Gohan smiled and nodded, oblivious to the boys' hostile tone.

The boy then went for a bit of intimidation and shoved Gohan, only to find he did not move an inch. It was then that Gohan noticed a large crowd of students around the two, among them was a short blonde, who bolted through the halls and out the doors to the court yard.

-In the Court Yard-

A tall, buff blonde male by the name of Sharpener, and a short black haired girl by the name of Videl Satan were conversing about various topics when there friend Erasa ran up to them, out of breath. The two raised gave her a questioning look as she struggled to talk, "Guys" she said when she finally got enough breath.

"What is it Erasa?" Videl asked.

"Jake is picking on another new kid" she informed her athletic friends.

Videl always disliked Jake, especially when he would pick on new kids, so she made it her job the stop him whenever she could, with the occasional help of Sharpener. No one dared get on Jakes bad side; he was the boxing champion of the school in back to back years.

"Where, are they?" Videl asked as she cracked her knuckles.

"Follow me" Erasa ordered as she bolted back through the doors.

The three friends reached the circle of students to find a tall boy, with black unruly hair standing in front of the boxer, looking slightly confused.

Videl rushed through the swarm of students in order to save the poor boy, but she wasn't quick enough, Jake threw a right hook, intending to hit Gohan Square in the jaw, but it was not to be. The students gasped at the sight, Gohan had brought the punch to a complete stop… With one finger. Videl stood in a state of shock _'Impossible'_ she thought.

Gohan was not happy, and it was clear on his face. "You have made a big mistake" Gohan claimed in a Vegeta type voice.

Jake then threw another punch with his free hand, only to miss his target once again; Gohan easily dodged it with a slight head movement. He then brought his knee into the stomach of the bully, who fell forward clenching his belly and groaning in agony, then Gohan brought a lightning fast punch down to his face, knocking him out cold.

His peers stood motionless, with eyes the size of dinner plates at the sight in front of them. Here stood a scrawny new kid, who had just knocked out one of the best fighters in the state without any effort. Gohan just grunted at the unconscious figure and proceeded to walk to class. The students quickly shuffled out of his way in an effort to not meet the same fate as Jake.

"Did you see that?" Erasa exclaimed.

"Well that depends, did you see the same thing as me?" Sharpener replied "Because I saw that kid, knock Jakes light out, with one punch"

"That was incredible" Erasa commented, "What do you think Videl?" The two looked over at their friend who seemed deep in thought.

'_How the heck, that Jake may be a meathead, but he can fight. That new kid made him look like a child, not even I can beat him that easily'_ Her thoughts were then interrupted by her bubbly friend "VIDEL!" she screamed, causing Videl to stagger.

"What!" she snapped back.

"What do you make of that fight?"

"Well…" Videl began, only to be interrupted by the bell.

"Come on guys" Sharpener said "Let's get to class"

The three made their way to their first class of the day (Physics) and surprise, there stood Gohan at the door. Videl, Erasa and Sharpener all exchanged glances before walking towards him, they could tell that he looked somewhat uncomfortable, he was smiling at students as they walked in to class and greeted them with a 'hello', however all of them avoided eye contact with him, making him feel somewhat alone. So he turned his gaze towards his feet and avoided interaction.

'_Man' _He thought _'Making friends is going to be hard, why won't anyone talk to me? Maybe I shouldn't have hurt that Jake guy' _

"Hello" came a cheery voice. Gohan snapped back to reality and looked down to see a small blonde looking up at him with a grin plastered on her face.

"Hello, I'm Gohan nice to meet you" Gohan greeted with a smile. Erasa just giggled at the cute boy.

"I'm Erasa" she said as she motioned towards her friends "And these are my friends, Sharpener and Videl"

"Nice to meet you both" Gohan greeted once more. The one known as Sharpener held out his hand towards Gohan and the two shook hands.

"That was some punch back there" Sharpener said.

Gohan just rubbed the back of his head and laughed, "Gee thanks, it was nothing though"

"You can come sit with us if you want" Erasa burst out.

"Really? Because you don't have to" Gohan responded.

"No it's fine, come on" Erasa said as she grabbed by the hand and lead him to their seats at the back of the room. Gohan then felt as if someone was staring at him and looked over at the black haired girl, to see her glaring at him.

Slightly confused, Gohan asked "Is something wrong?"

"How did you do it?" She said

"Do what?"

"Beat Jake with such ease, because you don't look very fit and I doubt you have much fighting experience if you got perfect test scores"

Gohan look at the girl dumfounded. "Well you're awfully quick to jump to conclusions aren't you" Gohan claimed.

Videl was fuming, _'How dare he. No one talks back to a Satan'_ but before she could open her mouth, Gohan was talking again.

"First of all, I have been training in martial arts since I was four or five, and secondly…" Gohan trailed off as he stood up and unzipped his jacket and took it off, revealing his perfectly sculpted arms.

Videl and Sharpener looked on in shock, and Erasa has hearts in her eyes. They also couldn't help but notice a large scar running down his left arm (It's from Cell).

'_Holy crap!' _Videl thought _'This guy wasn't lying, his arms are perfect, and I've never seen someone like this, especially a teenager'_

"Sorry" Videl said softly.

Gohan just smiled brightly, "Hey that's ok, and I shouldn't have said that about you, I'm sorry as well"

Videl just grinned slightly and chuckled. Sharpener and Erasa looked at each other in confusion. Videl was always suspicious of new people and she never, ever apologized to anyone.

Class went on without anything exciting happening. It was now lunch time, and the group of four sat down under a tree and began to eat.

"Did you forget lunch Gohan?" Erasa asked, noticing he didn't have anything with him.

"Hehe, no I would never forget that" He said, he then pulled out a capsule and threw it to the ground, producing a feast fit for a saiyan (or about 500 humans). Sharpener, Erasa and Videl all looked at Gohan in shock. "Are you sure this is enough?" They said in unison, causing Gohan to laugh.

"I sure hope so" He grinned and rubbed the back of his head again. The three sweat dropped at his comment. They then watched as Gohan began to devour everything in sight, without taking a single breathe. Many students looked on his disgust at the eating habits of the new kid.

"When was the last time you ate Gohan?" Videl questioned.

"This morning, why?" he asked between bites.

"Do you eat like this all the time?"

"Well, usually more, but I couldn't fit anything else in my capsule, so this has to do"

They all looked at him like he was crazy, but he was so captivated by the flavours in his mouth that he didn't notice. After finishing his feast, the group began to talk about various topics.

"Gohan, do you know Videl's father is?" Erasa asked while giggling.

"Er, should I?" Gohan replied.

"She's the daughter of Hercule Satan!" she exclaimed, awaiting Gohan's response.

'_Damn Erasa, why do you have to do this? Now he will just want to be friends with me because of my father, he is going to explode now' _Videl thought in defeat.

"Well, that's… Cool I guess" Gohan said with little interest.

'_Does he not care?' _Videl couldn't believe it, sure she wanted to be treated as a normal person and not the champs daughter, but she had to ask.

"Don't you care?" She burst out.

"Well, not really" Gohan began "your father doesn't really define how I see you, and even so, it's not really that great"

"Not that great?!" sharpener exploded in anger "He's the world champion and saviour of the world, has your father ever done that?"

"Well yes" Gohan responded.

Once again, all eyes were on Gohan.

"Who then?" Sharpener asked a bit calmer.

"Son Goku" Gohan said without missing a beat. The three stared in shock, they had watched some old tapes of the WMAT at Videls house, and happened to find the legendary bout between Son Goku and King Piccolo, and it had left them in awe.

Videl never admitted it, but she thought that he was much stronger than her father.

'_What else are you hiding, Son Gohan?'_


	2. PE and CC

Chapter 2 – PE and CC

PE. The one class Gohan wasn't sure of. Gohan loved to train and physical education, he never gave it up after the Cell games and wouldn't let his mother stand in his way. But he was hesitant, not for himself, but for the benefit of his class mates. Gohan is very competitive when it comes to sports and sometimes he goes all out without intending to.

'_If I can't control myself, someone could get hurt' _He thought, he and his new friend Sharpener made their way to the boys change rooms to get ready for class. Gohan had been informed that they would be training in martial arts, which excited Gohan, only there was only one major problem. He knew that he couldn't have a decent sparring session with anyone without seriously injuring or even killing them. And his skills were far superior to the teachers, so it would be unlikely that he would learn anything new. _'Unless the teacher knows Instant Transmission' _Gohan added as a thought and chuckled.

Sharpener looked over at Gohan slightly confused. "What's so funny?"

Gohan then stopped his laughter and quickly responded "Nothing Sharpener"

Sharpener just shrugged and the two entered the change rooms. "Do you have any fighting clothes?" he asked.

"Yeah" Gohan responded as he produced a gi that was identical to his fathers from his bag.

After giving the outfit a look over, Sharpener just nodded and began to change. The two boys then exited the change rooms and into the gym. Gohan couldn't help but notice that nearly every single female student had their eyes glued to Gohan, making him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

The two then took a seat next to Videl and Erasa. Videl was wearing the same baggy clothes and fighter gloves she had been wearing all day, while Erasa wore a simple Purple Sweat suit. After glancing at Gohan, Erasa once again had hearts in her eyes and the usual stone faced Videl, was having trouble from doing the same. _'Look as his chest, man he is definitely a true fighter, and that gi is 100% Son Goku'_

Just then, the gym doors burst open and a tall dark skinned man walked in. "Alright everyone!" he yelled, "Today, it seems we have a new student" He then looked at his clipboard "Son Gohan, would you please stand!" Gohan rose from his seat.

"Yes sir"

"My name is Mr Gibson, welcome to my class, now before we begin, I have to ask, how much martial arts experience do you have?"

"Thirteen years" Gohan responded, there was a sea of gasps throughout the class, even the teacher was surprised.

"Well, we will still have to test your skill and see what level you're at" Mr Gibson began "So I want you to have a quick match with Jake over there"

There was a silence in the class, it hadn't even been a day, and the whole school already knew about the beating Gohan had given Jake.

"I want you both to stand in the ring and wait for my go"

Gohan smirked; he looked over at Jake and the two locked eyes. Gohan gave Jake an evil grin and gestured for him to enter the ring.

"Ummm, sir" Jake began, "I'd rather not"

Mr Gibson was stunned to say the least. "I'm sorry, could you say that again?" he asked for confirmation.

"I don't want to fight him sir"

The coach just stared, he had been teaching Jake for 3 years and he had never turned down a fight.

"I…see, well Sharpener I guess you're up" once again, silence.

"Could you maybe pick someone else sir?" Sharpener asked, fear evident in his voice. Sure Gohan was his friend, but what if Sharpener did something that pissed him off, how would Gohan react. Once again the coach was confused.

"Is there anyone here who will fight Son?"… Pure silence, all the male students just looked around the gym or at their feet in an effort to avoid being picked. Gohan just laughed at how cowardly they acted.

"I'll fight him" Came a feminine voice, Gohan recognized it instantly.

"Are you sure Videl, usually we forbid Male and Female students fighting one another, but I guess…" He said as he looked at the boys in his class and shook his head in confusion and dissaproval, "You can fight him"

Videl just smirked, _'Great, now we can see how good he really is'_

"Videl are you sure about this?" Erasa whispered

Videl looked down at Erasa "Don't worry I'll go easy on him"

'_That's not what I'm worried about'_ Erasa thought, remembering the Jake vs Gohan scene.

The two stepped into the ring, while doing so Gohan whispered into Videl's ear "You're going to want to give everything you have" Videl could tell in his tone that he wasn't being cocky, he was being very honest.

Mr Gibson stood on the sideline. "Ok, I want you to both get into your stances". Videl opted for the traditional Satan stance, which favoured strength over speed and defence. Gohan then slid into his stance which was perfectly balanced, no holes or gaps, his eyes then took on a stone cold gaze, it made Videl tremble slightly, he looked like a predator ready to kill. Videl shivered slightly under his piercing gaze, Gohan noticed it and smirked, he always enjoyed intimidating his opponent.

"You may begin!" yelled Mr Gibson.

Videl wasted little time in attacking; she threw everything she had at him… But nothing hit. Jabs, Uppercuts, hooks, body shots, leg kicks, body kicks, head kicks, all blocked with ease. Gohan faked a yawn as the barrage continued causing the room to gasp and Videl to turn red with anger, "Come on Videl" he said, his Saiyan pride taking over. A frustrated Videl then went for a body kick, which Gohan caught, giving her a sly smirk he then delivered a quick punch to her sternum, making her fall onto her back.

"Stay down" Gohan ordered as he turned to exit the ring.

Videl wasn't willing to give up though and quickly stood up and charged at Gohan. She then took a huge swing at the back of Gohan's head, but she missed her target as Gohan tilted his head so the punch went gliding over his shoulder, and with one swift movement he took a hold of her arm and flipped her over his head and onto her back. Gohan then mounted her and threw a punch that hit the ring canvas, just millimetres from Videl's head, the sound of his fist made her ears ring and her heart beat faster, _'If he was being serious, he would have killed me'_ Videl thought.

Videl looked up at the smirking Gohan, her breath was coming out in short bursts and her eyes widened in shock. The Videl Satan had lost.

"That's enough!" Mr Gibson bellowed, "Gohan wins"

The whole gymnasium was silent; the strongest person in the school had been defeated by the new kid. Gohan then stood up and offered his hand to Videl who accepted it in defeat; Gohan then pulled her up with unnatural ease, "Good fight" Gohan said with a grin on his face, it made Videl melt, how could someone be so kind, but still act like a killer in a fight. It was like Gohan was two separate personalities.

The class went on with sparring matches, seeing as though no one wanted Gohan as a partner; Videl was paired with him for the rest of class. And the outcome of the sparring matches ended with Gohan blocking every blow.

-After Class, in the school halls-

"Hey Gohan!" came the voice of a certain blonde female.

Gohan looked over and smirked as Videl and Sharpener approached. "Hey guys" Gohan greeted.

"That match between you and Videl was awesome!" Sharpener exclaimed. Although she put on a brave face, Videl was very disappointed with the humiliating loss to Gohan, never in her life had something like that happened to her.

"Yeah, it was fun" Gohan said, trying not to brag about his victory, despite the fact that he wasn't even using a fraction of his power.

"Who trained you anyway?" Videl butted in.

"Well, a fair few of my dad's friends helped me, but the time I spent training with my dad is what I attribute my skills to" he said giving the famous Son grin.

"Wow, if your dad could teach you that, then maybe your dad and mine should have a match" Videl suggested, feeling a little excited about how amazing the fight would be. On the other hand though, Gohan was thinking the complete opposite. _'A fight with Hercule? Even my little brother could beat him within 10 seconds'_

"What do you think Gohan?"

"Well, that may be a little difficult" Gohan said.

"Why is that?" the confusion in Videl's voice was very clear. "Is he too sacred or something?"

Gohan just gave a small chuckle, "no I'm sure my father would relish in the opportunity to fight the… Saviour of the world" he said trying to keep himself from anger and laughter.

"It's difficult because… Well, he died about 7 years ago"

The three stood in shock, the legendary Son Goku was dead? They felt nothing but sympathy for their friend.

"I'm so sorry Gohan, I didn't know…" Gohan just held up his hand to stop Videl from talking.

"Its fine, I got over it years ago"

Sensing the tension Sharpener decided to intervene. "So Gohan, why are you still in your gi?" he asked.

"Oh, well I usually do some sparring sessions with a friend every day, so I figured I would swing by and get some training done" Gohan then thought a bit about his wording. _'Is Vegeta really a friend?' _he just shrugged.

"Well guys, I'd better get going, my 'friend' isn't the most patient person in the world"

"Ok, well see you tomorrow Gohan" Erasa said with a grin.

"Oh and Videl" Gohan addressed his new friend, who gave him a questioning look.

"If you want to, maybe we could train some time" Gohan suggested, making Videl blush.

"s-s-sure Gohan" She stuttered, Sharpener and Erasa's eyes widened, did Videl just stutter? They had never heard that before, what effect was Son Gohan having on Videl?

Gohan then raced out of the main doors, waving as he left. After making sure no one was looking he took off to the sky. _'That went well' _Gohan thought. He then headed towards his destination… Capsule Corp.


	3. A Sparring Session

Chapter 3 – A Sparring Session

'_4 o'clock, Vegeta won't be happy' _Gohan thought. Nearly every day after the Cell games Gohan would train for 5 hours with Vegeta, however since he started school he knew it would severely affect his training time.

Although he liked training, Vegeta wasn't really the ideal choice for a sparring partner. The only reason Gohan picked him was because he didn't have anyone else. Goten and Trunks were too young, Krillin, Yamcha and Tien aren't even close to Gohan's power and Piccolo, although he was stronger than the latter, wasn't really capable of keeping up when Gohan turned Super Saiyan. So Gohan had to learn to adapt to the rather sour attitude of Vegeta.

Gohan landed at the front door of Capsule Corp and quickly made sure no one was watching as he typed in the passcode. After entering Gohan was tackled by two sugar hyped half saiyans.

"Gohan!" they shouted in unison.

The teenager just smiled at the two kids. "How's it going squirts?" he said before picking them up by their legs and holding them upside down.

The two howled with laughter as their perspective of the room was reversed. Gohan then continued to the lounge room, while holding the two.

"Hey Bulma" Gohan greeted.

The blue haired genius took one look at her godson and smirked.

"Gohan, how are you? I heard you started school today, so how'd it go?"

"It was alright, class was a bit too easy for my taste, and I learnt all of the stuff when I was six. But I did make some friends, so it wasn't too bad"

Bulma just chuckled at Gohan. "Yes well, unfortunately not all of us are born with the brain of a genius"

"Or a stubborn mother" Gohan added as a joke. Bulma just laughed, Chichi was always pushing Gohan to do his best in his studies in the hopes he would one day become a great scholar. Although her hard work had payed off, Gohan sometimes felt as though he never really got the time to be a kid.

He had to deal with a psychopathic uncle at the age of four, and was forced to mature on the battlefield, training in the wilderness all alone for a year and fighting all sorts of powerful aliens. Whenever he wasn't fighting his mother was pushing him to study, thus the reason he felt somewhat robbed of his childhood.

Since Gohan had been through it, he made sure that his little brother didn't have to suffer it as well. It took some convinving, but Gohan had managed to get Chichi to hold off teaching Goten until he started school, giving the Goku look alike sometime to just be a kid.

"Gohan, I think… I'm gonna be sick" announced Trunks.

Gohan looked down to see both kids holding their hands over the mouths, and their faces seemed to be taking on a green shade, as they were being held upside down.

"Oops, sorry squirts" Gohan apologized. He released the two from his grasps and they fell head first to the floor. Bulma and Gohan just laughed as the two rubbed their heads in pain.

The humorous moment was then broken by the bellow of what sounded like a wild beast.

"WOMAN!" it shouted.

Bulma just rolled her eyes. "What is it Vegeta?"

"When is the brat getting here?"

Gohan could only chuckle. Despite being training partners for seven years, Vegeta had still refused to call Gohan by name. This didn't seem to faze him though; Gohan had too given Vegeta a nickname, one that he could not stand.

"He just got here" Bulma replied.

In a split second the main doors opened and their stood the short but still intimidating prince.

"Hey there Veggie head" Gohan greeted as he tried to supress a laugh.

"WHY YOU!" Vegeta was fuming. "I should blast you from here to Namek for using that name. But unfortunately I would be lacking a proper partner. So I'm going to pretend you didn't say it. Now why are you so late! How dare you keep me waiting!"

"Well, I had school Vegeta."

"School?!" Vegeta roared. "Whay the hell are you going to school?"

"Well my mum enrolled me, so I didn't really have a choice" Gohan explained.

Although Vegeta was against the idea, he wasn't willing to confront Chichi, though he would never admit it.

"Well, it better not affect my training schedule"

"Well see Vegeta, I might have to skip some days in order to get homework done"

Vegeta was clearly displeased at this new development. He just grunted in anger.

"Whatever, come on brat, were wasting sparring time"

Gohan just followed the Vegeta towards the gravity room. The two entered the room and quickly stretched. Vegeta approached he control panel and typed in the number 550.

Instantly Gohan could feel the pressure on his body, but he quickly compensated and stood upright. Vegeta did the same and the two got into their stances.

"Ready Brat?" Vegeta asked.

"Whenever you are… Veggie Head" Gohan smirked as he saw the steam escape Vegeta's ears.

"I will kill you!" Vegeta yelled and charged forward, throwing punches and kicks.

Gohan managed to block most of the attacks, but some snuck through. Deciding to go onto the attack Gohan countered one of Vegeta's kicks and began thowing punches and kick of his own.

The fight continued for some time, with each fighter gaining the upper hand at some points. Having enough of the warm up, Vegeta then powered up into the legendary super saiyan form, with Gohan following closely behind.

The real fight began with punches and kicks flying everywhere, to the human eye it was as if mini explosions were happening in the room, they were also moving at such high speeds that it would be near impossible ti catch a glimpse of the fight without proper energy training.

The battle went on for an hour, with both fighters refusing to give any ground. But they both knew how it would end. The two then broke apart and floated on opposite sides of the room; they locked eyes and began charging up for the finale.

"Ka-Me-Ha-Me…" Gohan began.

"Final…" Vegeta too was preparing.

"HA!" "FLASH!"

The two then released their beams of energy and directed them at one another. The attacks then met in a struggle for dominance, both saiyans were taking this very seriously, but were also enjoying every second.

Gohan then sensed Vegetas power decrease slightly and smirked.

'_He's wearing down' _Gohan told himself. _'Time to finish it'_

Gohna then put some extra power into his beam, Vegetas Final Flash was then engulfed by Gohans Kamehameha and it resulted in a huge explosion.

When the dust had cleared, Vegeta lay on the floor bruised, beaten and unconscious. Gohan too was pretty banged up, just the usual cuts and bruises, to anyone who was not a saiyan they would think Gohan was on the edge of his life.

But his injuries were nothing compared to his opponent. He then lifted the unconscious Vegeta onto his shoulder and proceeded to the recover chamber.

After setting Vegeta up, Gohan then walked over to a board on the wall and proceeded to rub out the written number and put in another.

The final result of the board looked like this…

Victory Board:

Gohan - 1714

Vegeta - 458

After admiring his victory, Gohan made his way to relax in the lounge room as he waited for his turn in the recovery chamber.

Then there was a ring at the door.

"Gohan could you please get that, I think that's a customer coming to get a capsule" Bulma called. "Tell them I'll be right down"

"Sure thing Bulma"

Gohan made his way to the front door, and was quite surprised at the figure In front of him.

"Hey there Videl"


	4. Twenty Questions

(Authors Note: I apologize for the delay, I have had practice exams recently and it has taken up a lot of my time. I hope to get quite a few chapters done before my real exams start so you won't have to wait as long.)

(Secondly, after reading some reviews, I decided I had to improve on some key aspects of the story, so I have rebuilt the chapter so it fits appropriately and doesn't rush things. Thanks for the constructive criticism guys.)

Chapter 4 – Twenty Questions

"Hey there Videl"

Videl recognized the kind, gentle voice and looked up. She gasped at the sight.

Here stood Gohan, with the typical son smile plastered on his face, completely covered in blood, scars and bruises. It looked as if Gohan had been beaten within an inch of his life, and then run over by a truck. And yet he seemed so calm and normal about it.

"Oh My God Gohan, What the heck happened?!" Videl exclaimed.

Gohan to say the least was confused. "What do you mean?"

"The scars you idiot, how did this happen?"

Gohan then gave himself a quick look over in the hallway mirror and chuckled.

"Oh, I told you that me and a friend were training today, we just finished actually"

Videl just stared in shock. "You need to seek medical attention immediately, come on" She then grabbed a hold of Gohan's arm and tried to pull him, only to hear the distinctive sound of a bone cracking.

"Gohan, what was that noise?"

"Oh, well I broke my arm during the fight, no biggie. I can just wait it out till I get to use the recovery chamber" he said nonchalantly.

'_What the heck?' _Videl thought. _'He looks like he has been hit by a truck, his arm is broken and yet he stands there like nothing happened'_

"Gohan, who did this to you?"

"My training partner Vegeta, why?"

"I'm going to teach him to never mess with a Satan and her friend"

Gohan just looked rather puzzled; she was willing to fight Vegeta for his benefit. _'She doesn't know what she's getting herself into'_ he thought.

"Well I appreciate your concern, but I don't think you'll be getting your hands on him anytime soon"

"And why is that?" Videl was confused.

"Because he's still recovering, you think I look bad? Well you should see him; I had to carry him to the recovery chamber"

It took a moment for Videl to register what he was saying.

"What's this 'Recovery Chamber'?" She asked.

"I'll show you"

Gohan began leading Videl through the long halls of CC, passing various labs and Workshops till they reached a singular door that was closed. Gohan opened the door and gestured for Videl to enter first. Nodding her head in thanks she hesitantly stepped through and once again, could not contain a gasp.

The chamber wasn't quite what she expected, it was much more advanced and complicated, but the one thing that she couldn't keep her eye off was what it was holding. There was a short man lying unconscious and completely beaten inside. He was hooked up to wires and had a face mask over his mouth; his scars were far more severe than Gohan's, so much so one would think he was in fact nothing but a lifeless corpse.

Videl, after the initial shock managed to find her voice. "How did this happen, and is he alive?"

Gohan just laughed. "I already told you, we were training. I can assure you he's fine, if I wanted to kill him I would have done so"

Videl had nothing to say at that comment. '_He did this?' _She though _'He trained to the point of death, nearly kills his partner and treats it like an everyday occurrence, what is wrong with him?'_

Before Videl could bombard Gohan with questions she noticed a blue haired figure standing at the door… _'Bulma Briefs!'_

"There you are!" she announced, "I was wondering where you went"

"Oh, sorry Bulma, I was going to send Videl to see you but we got a bit side-tracked" Gohan stated.

"So I see. How's Vegeta doing?"

"Pretty worn out as usual, but he seems stable, he should be fully recovered in about an hour or two"

Bulma just nodded her approval. It had taken her years and plenty of money to create the machine, ever since she had seen the healing capabilities of the Senzu Bean she had tried to create her own remedy. Unfortunately the best she could do was the single machine, even though it has the same effects as the Bean, it takes much longer and is impractical in a real fight. Despite this, she was pleased with the result and had plenty of times to test it when Gohan and Vegeta would spar.

She then turned her attention to the black haired girl who was in a state of shock.

"Can I help you?"

After realizing that she was being addressed by 'the' Bulma Briefs she struggled to speak properly. "U-u-um, ye-s-s-s Miss, I mean Mrs Briefs"

"Please, call me Bulma" The inventor said, trying to snap the girl from her speech problem.

"Of course Bulma" Videl said with more confidence.

"I called earlier today, I believe one of your colleagues said that my capsule was finished"

After thinking through her mental schedule, Bulma realized what the girl was here for.

"Of course, the Jet copter, am I right?" Videl just nodded.

"It's in the storage room; I'm a bit busy as it is. Are you capable of getting it in your current state Gohan?" she asked with a joking tone.

Gohan replied in a similar fashion. "I think you underestimate me at times Bulma, sure I'll get it"

After nodding at her Godson, she looked at Videl, "Just follow Gohan, he knows the way"

Videl could only nod; this was just getting weirder and weirder by the second. In a single day Videl had met a new boy who could, get straight A's in school, beat up the state boxing champ without effort, was the son of former world champion Son Goku, had the ability to go toe to toe with her and come out on top, could survive injuries that were beyond fatal to a normal human and was good friends with the smartest woman on earth. _'And he has the hottest body I have ev-' _Videl stopped _'What am I saying, Gohan is just another boy. I won't waste my time chasing after them, I'm not like Erasa'. _

But she knew it wasn't just Erasa that was after him.

In only a single day Gohan had managed to capture the hearts of nearly every girl of Orange Star High and has undoubtedly become the biggest enigma of the school.

After noticing that Videl was deep in thought, Gohan wasn't sure how to act. _'She seems to think to herself quite a bit'_ Gohan just shrugged the thought away.

"Are you coming?" Gohan asked after feeling that he had waited long enough.

Videl then snapped her head back to Gohan who was standing at the door waiting for her.

"Oh, sorry" she apologized and hurried out the door and into the hallways, slightly embarrassed at standing there like a fool.

The two walked in an awkward silence down the hall to the storage room. Videl was eyeing Gohan up and down suspiciously, trying to think of how to get him to reveal some secrets.

Gohan could sense her glare completley focused on his face.

"Is something wrong?" he asked without turning to her.

Surprised by the sudden sound of his voice, Videl then quickly replied.

"No, I'm fine" and quickly turned her head in front of her.

"Well that's a lie; if you glared at me any longer you would have drilled a hole in my head"

Gohan chuckled at his own comment, but Videl was too busy thinking up a question to joke around.

"How do you know Bulma Briefs?"

Gohan was a little confused, _'Is that why she was acting weird?'_

"Bulma is my Godmother, I have known her since I was four, my father knew her when he was just a kid, they travelled the world together on a big adventure" he replied.

This just opened up more questions. _'What adventure? How did they meet?' _It was just the problem with Gohan, with every answer came another set of questions that Videl would have to add to the list. She just set those questions aside for now and asked another.

"Where do you live?"

"The 439 Mountain Area"

The answer was enough to have Videl fuming; once again she had several questions she had to ask. But she decided to ask one straight away.

"That's like a 500 Mile journey! Right?"

"Actually it's 529 Miles to be exact" Gohan replied with confidence.

"How in the world do you get to school every day?"

Gohan then realized that he was getting close to revealing some things that he shouldn't, but maybe Videl was different…. No, he had promised his mother to keep his powers and past a secret, no matter who it was. So he quickly evaded the question.

"What are we playing twenty questions or something?" He joked.

Videl felt as if she had been caught out. "No, it's nothing" she simply replied.

"Well, if you say so" Gohan replied somewhat suspicious at what Videl was trying to do.

Videl was just quiet, she knew she was on rocky ground and decided to hold off the questions… For now.

But Gohan could tell that her face showed held some frustration. The two walked on in silence, until they reached the storage room.

Gohan told Videl to wait in the hall while he went to retrieve her product. After some minutes he emerged with a capsule in his hand. He handed Videl the capsule who gave her thanks.

"So what's so special about this thing?" Gohan asked.

"It's the newest Jet Copter, it's supposed to be twice as fast as the last and use half the amount of fuel" Videl replied, excitement clear in her voice, she couldn't wait to try it.

"You should bring it by sometime" Gohan suggested.

"What?"

"You know fly it out to my house, we can train together"

Videl just thought about it. _'If I go to his house I'll finally be able to figure out who Son Gohan is.' _She smirked slightly at her plan.

"Sure Gohan, that sounds good"

"Great!" Gohan exclaimed, "How about Friday after school or on Saturday"

Gohan wasn't sure why he would suggest such a thing, he knew Videl wasn't even close to Gohan's power but he felt the need to spend more time with her, but why?

"Sounds good" Videl agreed.

Before either could continue talking, the man who Videl believed to be dead stepped out into the hall. After looking at the two he fixed his gaze on Gohan.

"Brat, it's your turn in the chamber, but next time I'll kick your ass" He stated and walked off to the kitchen for a much needed energy boost.

"Wow, he seemed angry" Videl said.

"Don't pay too much attention to him" Gohan said. "He says that every time I beat him, too bad he can't back it up" Videl just laughed at the comment.

"I HEARD THAT YOU BRAT!" yelled Vegeta from the kitchen doorway. "I WILL KILL YOU NEXT TIME, SO WIPE THAT DUMBASS SMILE OF YOUR FACE!" and with that, he entered the kitchen and began to gorge on a mountain of food.

Videl instantly stopped laughing, but noticed that Gohan had a sly smirk on his face, she could only marvel at the fact that Gohan could take such a threat and still laugh it off.

"Anyway" Gohan began "I'd better get healed before I head home, I'll see you at school tomorrow"

"Sure thing Gohan" Videl replied. She was usually good at reading people, and despite having plenty of secrets, she was sure that Gohan had become a good friend of hers and that she could trust him.

The two then went their separate ways. Videl headed home to Satan Mansion and fell asleep thinking of the enigma Gohan. _'What makes him so different?' _She paused, thinking of an explanation, but couldn't think of any. _'I guess we'll see at training'._

Gohan spent a little over half an hour in the chamber before heading home, he was too tired to do anything, he just smiled at the dining table which was piled with food, his mother had obviously cooked it for him before she went to bed, he was also surprised that Goten hadn't snuck down and ate it while he his mum slept.

After stuffing his face to the point of exploding, Gohan went to bed, feeling rather happy with the way his first day had turned out and the friends he had made.


	5. Not Your Typical Family

(Author's Note: I apologize for the short chapters, with exams lurking I have had to cut down on my writing schedule. I am trying to post frequent updates; unfortunately I am unable to write in great quantities for each chapter. However I will try my best to update on a regular basis with a decent length.)

Chapter 5 – Not your typical family.

The rest of the school week was quite uneventful. Since attending his first day of Orange Star High, Gohan had already cemented his place as the kid you don't want to mess with. Although this did mean some of his peers were a bit hesitant around him, it did have its benefits. For example he didn't have to worry about any bullies and he had gained much respect for being able to put down the two best fighters in the school.

But Gohan didn't really care about his social status, he had made three friends already and he intended to keep it that way. He had been asked to sit with nearly every group during lunch time, but he quickly declined the offers, he had already established his place and that was with his three friends. Videl, Erasa and Sharpener.

Every day the group of four would sit under a tree and converse about different topics. Erasa usually didn't get much of a say when it came to the subject of fighting and training, but Gohan had to admit it wouldn't be the same without the bubbly blonde. Sharpener was the same, despite any first impressions Gohan had about the jock, he had to admit he was wrong. He looked the part of a bullying jock, but in reality he was an honest and trustworthy friend. Then there was Videl, the most complicated person Gohan had ever met. She was Gohan's friend, not doubt about it, but then there were times when she would do nothing but glare at Gohan or demand answers about his life, which Gohan had managed to sneakily avoid. Despite this, he still considered her a close friend.

-Friday-

Training day. The bell rang signalling the end of the day, a time where students were bouncing off the walls to escape the hell hole that was school. Amongst the chaos of stampeding students and flooded hallways, Gohan, Videl, Erasa and Sharpener all stood patiently waiting for the swarm of students to disperse.

When it had finally happened the four began to walk out of school talking and laughing.

"So Videl, you coming tonight?" asked the bubbly blonde.

The look of confusion on Videl's face was enough of for Erasa to continue talking.

"The mall" She simply said.

Videl then instantly remembered, every Friday she would accompany Sharpener and Erasa to the mall. This activity was something that Videl despised, but she could tell by the pained expression of Sharpener that his experience was ten times worse and he would try to weasel out every time.

Luckily for Videl, this time she actually had somewhere else to be. After talking with Gohan the two had agreed that they would train on Friday afternoon and possibly finish some homework.

"Sorry Erasa" Videl began "But I have already made some commitments of my own"

Being the naïve girl that she was, Erasa didn't ask for an explanation. Videl rarely tried to slip out of the mall runs, so if she did, it must be real. Unlike Sharpener who was now using the same excuse that he had used several times before.

"I've got boxing practice" he said.

This earned Sharpener a pinch to the arm. The blonde boy jumped back in pain and placed his hand over the already red area.

"Now sharpener, you do this all the time" She began sweetly, but soon her face began to change. Videl and Sharpener winced at what was about to happen. "NOW HURRY THE HELL UP, AND GET GOING!" the volume was enough the puncture a person's ear drum and for a brief moment Gohan thought he was deaf.

"Yes ma'am" Sharpener replied and bolted out the door.

'_Man, Erasa would be able to give my mother a run for her money'_ he thought.

Erasa the turned to Gohan, any trace of evil on her face was replaced with a smile.

"What about you Gohan?"

The half Saiyan looked at Videl who just shrugged. He assumed that Videl wanted to keep their training a secret so he lied.

"Sorry Erasa, my mother is fairly strict about getting home on time. Maybe next week"

Erasa pouted at the comment. "Fine" she said and walked towards the door. "I'll see you too on Monday"

Once the door had closed, Gohan and Videl looked at one another.

"I'd better get going" Gohan said "I'll meet you at my place" and ran out of the school grounds and took off to the sky after running into an alley.

Videl barely had time to register what happened. Why was he in such a rush?

She just let the thought slip her mind as she threw her capsule to the ground, producing the finest machine she had ever laid her eyes on. The Jet Copter version II. She had owned the technological marvel for nearly a whole week and still she couldn't believe how amazing it really was. She then entered the copter and began the long ride to the mountain area.

Gohan meanwhile had just arrived at his house, where he was greeted in the doorway by his little brother.

"Gohan!" he shouted as he jumped into his brother's chest and latched on like a monkey.

"Hey there squirt" Gohan said. "How was your day?"

Before Goten could answer he was ripped off by his mother. Chichi stood holding Gohan in one hand and looking slightly confused.

"Gohan, I thought you said your girlfriend was coming over"

Gohan just fell onto his head in true anime style.

"Mum, she's not my girlfriend" He protested.

Chichi just shook her head. "Oh Gohan, how long do you want me to wait until I get my grandchildren?"

Gohan sweat dropped at the comment.

"Mum please, can we not have this conversation now. Videl is just a friend, and she'll be arriving in an hour or two, so I need to get ready"

Sighing in defeat, Chichi stepped to the side and gestured for Gohan to enter. Upon entering, Gohan made a beeline for his bedroom and began to change from his school clothes to his blue gi. He also thought it best to hide any evidence of his saiyan heritage or powers while he was at it. This meant taking down a few pictures of him as a super saiyan, or with the other members of the Z Fighters.

Gohan nodded his head in approval at his work and went out to an empty field to meditate while he waited.

The journey to Gohan's turned out to be much longer than Videl expected, especially in her new Jet Copter. Still this did give her enough time to think about what questions to ask and how to get some information out of him.

'_How in the world does Gohan make this journey every morning? There's no way he do this every morning, what's his secret?'_

While thinking this over, Videl noticed a small dome shaped house in the distance.

"Finally" she sighed. She was very sick of flying and couldn't wait to stretch her legs. Upon stepping out of her Copter, Videl was stunned at the area around her.

The green grass, Sheer Mountain peaks and soothing sound of running water was far from what she was used to. Yet inside she fell in love with it immediately, it was then that she understood why Gohan and his family lived so far from the city.

While meditating Gohan felt the incoming energy wave that he easily recognized, he wasted little time in speeding off towards the house to welcome Videl to his sanctuary.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The voice broke Videl from her trance and she whipped around the see Gohan standing there looking as cheerful as usual.

"It's amazing" She put it simply. The two stood in a short silence, listening to the sounds of nature, birds chirping, the summer breeze and the fragile trees swaying from side to side. Gohan inwardly smiled to himself, he had lived here his whole life and he still appreciated everything it had to offer, the beauty and calmness of everything.

"I think we'd better head inside" Gohan suggested.

Videl looked up at Gohan and nodded and the two walked to the house, but before they reached the door Gohan grabbed a hold of Videl's arm.

"I'm just going to warn you, my mother and brother aren't really your typical family" he warned.

Videl didn't quite understand what he meant by that. But the look he gave her seemed to answer the question she wanted to ask. 'You'll see' His eyes said. Gohan slowly opened the door, stepping in first.

"Mum, Videl's here" he called.

Said mother then appeared from nowhere, she began looking Videl up and down, nodding her approval as she went on. Videl felt seriously uncomfortable and Gohan was extremely embarrassed. After deciding she had seen enough, Chichi looked Videl in the eyes.

"Yes, you're quite the looker, perfect for my boy"

"Excuse me?" Videl asked.

"Hello my dear, my name is Chichi" she said happily.

Videl cracked a nervous smile and looked at Gohan for reassurance who now had his face in his hands.

"My names Videl, it's a pleasure to meet you Mrs Son"

"Please" Chichi replied swiftly "Call me Chichi; Mrs Son makes me sound so old. Plus if you're going to be my new daughter in-law then you'd better get used to it"

The comment made Videl look in shock. _'Daughter in-law, is she serious?'_

She then looked over at Gohan, who was now beating his head against the wall none too lightly, he couldn't believe that his mother would make such a comment. Deciding that he didn't want any more to be said, he grabbed a hold of Videl's hand and escorted her back outside.

"Mum, were going to train, be back later" He said quickly.

"Of course" Chichi spoke dreamily. "You two have fun, I'll have dinner ready by the time you get back" and with that she began to hum here comes the bride. Gohan just shook his head and slammed the door.

The next few seconds were awkward to say the least. Gohan was swearing over and over in his mind and Videl was too stunned to speak and then things got worse.

"Hey, who are you?"

'_Oh no, I forgot about Goten' _Gohan silently beat himself for not telling Goten that Videl was coming or that he should hide his powers.

After the initial shock, Videl managed to recover and looked down at the young boy and smiled.

"I'm Videl, what's your name?"

"I'm Goten, are you Gohan's girlfriend?"

'_That's it' _Gohan said to himself _'I might as well kill myself right now while I still have some sanity.'_

Videl was once again shocked. Sure Gohan had warned her, but she never expected that this was what he meant.

"NO" she said a bit too loudly. "Were just friends"

Goten was then about to open his mouth with another question loaded. But before he could, Gohan placed his hand over Goten's mouth and pulled him close.

"Listen Goten" Gohan whispered into his ear. "I need you to stop listening to mum about me having a girlfriend, ok?"

Goten just nodded, not understanding what impact his words really had.

"Good, now go inside and help mum or something, me and Videl are going to train" Gohan paused for a second. "And no, you can't come"

"Why not?" Goten begged.

Gohan was always a sucker when it came to Goten, he always knew the right ways to get what he wanted and when it came to Gohan he would use guilt. But this time Gohan wasn't going to cave.

"Goten, I said you can't come and that's final" he said sternly. He rarely spoke to Goten like that, but it needed to be done. "Goten I promise well train all day tomorrow, ok?"

Goten not knowing any better just smiled and went back into the house. All Gohan could do now was sigh, this whole training day was turning into quite the effort.

Videl who had watched the scene between the two boys unfold noted the way Gohan spoke.

'_Man, he acts like a father more than a brother'_ She then felt only sympathy for her friend as she remembered the fact that his father had died seven years ago.

After a minute or so, Gohan finally spoke up.

"Look, I'm sorry about that. I didn't expect it to go that far"

"Yeah, that was… Interesting" Videl replied, the two exchanged in an awkward moment of laughter and began walking in silence to the training site.

-At the training grounds-

It wasn't much, Videl had to admit. The area was just a grassy meadow outlined by a large forest and a small river off to one side. The two had both decided to try and wash the previous events from their minds and focus on training.

"You ready?" Videl asked as she slid into her stance.

Gohan didn't respond, he just looked Videl up and down and shook his head in disapproval.

"What's wrong?" Videl asked.

"Your stance" Gohan said simply.

Videl looked down at her legs and the positioning of her arms. As far as she was concerned, this was the perfect imitation of the Satan stance, the very same that her father had used in his victory in the WMAT, and the same he used at the Cell Games, according to his stories.

"What about it?"

"It's not very good" Gohan said very plainly. He didn't know who had taught her that stance, but it definitely did not suit her fighting style, and he doubted it was very successful.

"Not Very Good!" Videl exclaimed "this is the Satan stance, the very same my father uses, it's…"

"Not very good" Gohan cut in. Videl wanted to beat the snot out of him right then and there, but before she could, Gohan spoke up.

"The stance is too offence based. It has no speed, no defence and no balance. Anyone with a balanced stance could easily block any blows you throw. I could hit you with ten strikes before you throw one."

Videl scrunched her nose in anger.

"Fine Mr know it all, what do you suggest"

Gohan thought for a second for a suitable stance. Videl was a slim build, and Gohan could tell was very fast, probably even faster than his mother with a good stance. He then thought back to the hyperbolic time chamber and remembered a stance that his father had taught him. It was a version of the Turtle school stance that focused on speed and balance.

"I know one" Gohan then slid down and placed his arms in the correct position with his legs balanced ready to push off the ground. "Try this" he suggested.

Videl attempted to imitate him, but was unable to. After noticing her struggle, Gohan intervened and gave her a helping hand. He allowed his hands to slide down Videl's arms, the action made Videl shiver at the mere touch, Gohan was too focused that he didn't realize what he was doing, or the fact that their faces were less than an inch apart. After some adjusting, he had her in the correct position.

He stepped back and nodded at the perfect balance she possessed.

"What do you think?"

As much as Videl hated to admit it, this stance felt so natural. She felt as though Gohan was right. This stance was far superior to her old one and suited the way she would fight.

"It feels… right" she said hesitantly, unable to describe the way it felt.

"That's good" Gohan said "A stance should always feel that way. You are clearly not suited for that Satan stance, so let's try this new one out. Try to hit me"

Videl looked at Gohan confused. "Come one Videl, I can take it, try to hit me"

Videl just nodded and went on the attack. Instantly she felt lighter and faster, throwing twice the amount of strikes she normally would, and actually managed to sneak a punch in on Gohan's face. But the others were all blocked with some ease. But Videl could see in his face that he was concentrating much more than in their previous fight.

After five minutes of trying out her new stance, Videl stopped the barrage and stepped back, breathing sharply.

"Wow, you're really good" Videl commented.

"You're not too bad yourself" Gohan replied. "Shall we continue?"

-2 hours later-

The stars were now beginning to form in the sky and the two teens were resting after training hard. Videl almost collapsed in exhaustion, but she also noted that Gohan was nowhere near out of breath.

'_Yet another question to ask'_ She then realized that after all this she had forgot about her plan on figuring out Son Gohan. Despite this, she was unable to bring herself to ask such personal questions. So instead she struck up a normal conversation.

"Goten seems like a nice kid" she said.

"Yeah he's a great brother, quite the handful. But I love him"

"It must be difficult, growing up without a father"

Gohan just nodded. He tried to fight down the tears that were threatening to fall. Videl noticed it and instantly regretted what she had said.

"Gohan, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" she trailed off.

"No your right, it's been hard. I've had to take on the role as both brother and father" Now it seemed fighting his tears was becoming a losing battle. "It's been hard on him too, he understands that I'm nothing like a father, I can see it in his eyes, he wants so desperately to see his dad. And it's all my fault that he never will" Now his tears fell of their own free will, but he didn't care. "It's been hard on mum too; she had to raise a son without her husband and cried every night after his death. It's been hard on all of us, and I'm to blame"

Videl's heart was breaking for the young man in her sights. All these years of pain and sadness were bursting out in waves. He was laying seven years of loss right in front of her, little did she know, this was the first time he had ever expressed these emotions to anyone. He had kept this to himself for the past seven years, all because of his stupid mistake.

"WHY!?" he shouted. "Why was I so cocky, so arrogant? I should have killed that bastard when I had the chance. Dad warned me, but I didn't listen, I'm such a failure"

Videl was confused but sympathetic at the same time. _'Kill, failure what is he talking about?'_

"I should have killed Cell when dad told me, why did I let that bastard live?"

With his emotions running high, Gohan didn't realize the mistake he had made.

"Cell?"

(Author's note: Not my best work, I'll admit. I'll try to have the next few chapters up soon. If you have any ideas for the story, please share them. I'd love to hear what you guys can come up with. And be sure to leave some constructive criticism for me, so I know where to improve.)


	6. Permanent Reminder

**(Authors note: First and foremost I would like to apologize for not updating for a while. I have just completed my exams and I wanted to take a small break and let my brain settle after studying for the past month. But now, I have 2 months of holidays and I will be able to spend most of it writing my story.**

**Secondly I would like to thank everyone for the support and useful advice, if it wasn't for all my followers and positive feedback I'm not sure if this story would have gone far.)**

* * *

Chapter 6 – Permanent Reminder

"Cell?"

Almost immediately it seemed that the world stood still, Gohan realized he had made a mistake, a BIG mistake.

'_Oh crap, did I say that out loud?'_ he thought, he looked over at Videl and sure enough the girl shot him a questioning glance. _'What do I say? Gohan you moron, crap, crap, crap.'_

The sudden silence was enough for Videl to feel somewhat suspicious about this ordeal. Just a moment ago Gohan was breaking down, now it seemed he was frozen in what looked like nerves. At this point Gohan knew that if he acted any more out of the ordinary it could be the end of him.

Gohan could already here the lecture he would get from his mother if he allowed his secrets to get out so easily, he winced at the thought of being hit over the head with her blasted frying pan of doom.

Videl was now confused as to why he wasn't responding, so she addressed him again.

"Gohan, what do you mean by Cell?"

Again there was no answer, Videl was now becoming impatient, there was definitely something going on here and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

Gohan took a quick look at Videl's face, which had changed from a questioning look to a stone cold glare, normally Gohan would have chuckled at her attempt to intimidate him, but right now the situation left him no reason to laugh.

Realizing that there was no escape, Gohan sighed in defeat.

"Videl I…" he began hesitantly. "I've already said too much"

This only furthered Videl's suspicions and she wasn't going to let it slip though her fingers.

"I don't care how much you said, you're going to give me answers right now!" she ordered.

"No" Gohan said in a monotone voice.

"Oh yes you are-" Videl began only to be interrupted.

"No, I'm not" Gohan began sternly. "Trust me Videl, I have my reasons"

"Like what?"

Gohan eyed the girl off and straightened his back so he towered over the spawn of Satan. His eyes took on the same predator gaze that he had back when they sparred, and once again Videl could feel herself tremble in fear.

"This isn't just my secret. This is something that will affect not only me, but many people close to me, friends and family alike. But above all else, this is something I do not wish to relive…Ever… Again" Gohan put emphasis on the last two words hoping the girl would back off.

The little outburst was enough to have Videl hesitate for a brief moment. The look in his eye and his slowly rising voice had her nearly cowering completely in hopes he wouldn't hurt her. But then her fear was quickly replaced with pride. She stood herself up and narrowed her eyes at him as if to challenge him. His gaze however did not falter and he raised an eyebrow in question.

"You want another reason?" Gohan said fighting back his anger.

Videl just nodded, not changing her icy stare.

"Very well, I won't tell you because that day was just a confirmation of my failures. And this…" Gohan said gesturing to his left arm where a large scar was embedded in his skin. "This is a permanent reminder of that day, and how much of a failure I am. You get it?"

There was now a long silence between the two. Gohan kept his gaze locked on Videl awaiting her response. Videl meanwhile began to process the information that he had just laid in front of her.

'_Could it be possible that Cell killed his father?' _Videl thought._ 'But then why is his father dead, I thought all the victims of Cells terror were resurrected'_

Something fishy was definitely going on. First Gohan was having a mental breakdown, laying everything he had on the table. Now he refuses to utter a single word.

'_Whatever's going on, it has to do with Cell and Gohan's father. Something is definitely wrong here'_

Snapping herself back to reality, Videl looked back to Gohan and sure enough his gaze remained entirely fixated on her face, the longer he remained to do so, the more she became uncomfortable. After a long while of pure silence Videl averted her gaze and sighed in defeat.

"Fine, we will drop the subject… For now" She said stressing the words for now. _'But mark my words Son Gohan, I will get to the bottom of this' _she added as an afterthought.

"Good" Gohan said coolly as his eyes reverted back to their usual calm and carefree appearance. Videl saw the personality switch and felt relieved. She would never admit it, but this Gohan was far better company than angry Gohan. One again there was an awkward silence. It seemed nearly impossible to go back to sparring after what transpired; luckily Gohan's stomach was on board to save the day.

The rumble emitted from the near bottomless pit of his stomach was nothing like Videl had ever heard.

"Guess it's time for food" Gohan said as he placed a hand behind his head and flashed his trademark grin. Videl just rolled her eyes.

"You and your damn food. I still don't understand how you can be so hungry after you ate an entire feast for lunch"

Wisely Gohan kept his comments to himself and the two began the short walk back to the house. They walked on in silence for the entire trip. Both were thinking things over from the previous events.

'_I should really be more careful'_ Gohan thought _'This girl is more determined than I gave her credit for. One more slip up like that and it will blow up in my face'_

'_This day just got interesting' _thought Videl _'Something is off about this whole situation and I will find out what it is'_

-Son Residence-

The two finally reached the house without uttering a single word to one another for the entire journey. They entered and were met with the sounds of chichi humming as she finalized dinner for the two hungry saiyans and their guest.

"Ah, there you two are" Chichi said happily. "Dinner is almost ready, take a seat"

Videl did as she was told and felt relieved to rest her legs from the strenuous events from their long sparring session. She then looked over at Gohan who remained standing and looked to his mother.

"Mum, I'm going to take a shower and get changed. I'll be out when dinners ready"

His voice was a complete monotone. And it surprised Chichi, the last time she had ever heard Gohan speak like that was at Goku's funeral, something was wrong. It was then she noticed that the two teenagers were acting very separate from each other. There was a clear tension in the air and it could be spotted from a mile away.

'_Something's wrong. What happened between those two?'_

As Gohan left, Chichi brought a salad bowl to the dining table where Videl was sitting and eyed her suspiciously.

"Gohan's acting a little out of the ordinary. You wouldn't happen to know why, would you?"

Videl had expected such as question and replied quickly and hastily.

"Well you see, we had a bit of an argument I guess"

"About what?" Chichi asked in interest.

"Well, we were on the topic of talking about Goten, when all of a sudden he kind of had an emotional breakdown…"

Chichi hid her surprise very well; she then beckoned for the young girl to continue retelling the story.

"He started talking to himself about being the reason for his father's death and how it impacted all your lives…" she then waited to let Chichi process the information.

'_He still blames himself? Oh Gohan, I thought you realized it wasn't your fault.' _Chichi then thought as to why he had never said this to her and any of their family friends before, but rather to this girl. _'I guess he trusts her more than he lets on'_

"And then he mentioned Cell"

That definitely got Chichi's attention. "Oh dear…" Chichi mumbled hoping Videl didn't hear her.

Unfortunately, Videl was able to catch the words and it only confirmed her suspicions further. His mother clearly knew that this was an important topic and if it was enough to have her looking nervous then it must be important.

"Exactly what did he say?" Chichi asked fearing Gohan had slipped up and said more than he should of.

"He didn't say anything after that" Videl said eyeing the older woman off.

Chichi let out a small breath of relief. _'At least he managed to catch it'_

"You know what he's hiding don't you?" Videl asked.

Chichi looked the girl up and down and nodded. "Yes I do, why?"

"Because, when I questioned him he froze and refused to explain anything. I was hoping you could perhaps help me out"

"I most certainly will not" Chichi said with anger. "Look I like you Videl, there's something about you that reminds me of myself when I was your age. But I will never speak about that incident, especially without Gohan's consent. I suggest you speak with him, but if he refused like you said, than I think you should drop the subject. Trust me, Gohan has his reasons. Why are you so interested anyway?"

'_I know he has his reasons' _Videl screamed in her mind. _'that's what interests me_'

"You see Mrs. Son My full name is Videl Satan, my father is Hercule Satan the man who defeated Cell himself. The Cell games changed his entire status, now if this secret has something to do with Cell, I'm sure my father can offer some kind of information seeing as though he knows more about what happened than anyone" Videl didn't feel right lying but at this point she would try anything, unfortunately Chichi's reaction wasn't what she expected.

Chichi began to burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Videl only felt a twinge of embarrassment and anger as the older woman continued to laugh. When she had finally managed to calm herself, Chichi addressed Videl.

"Trust me, Mr Satan is probably the last person that Gohan would want to meet with"

"And why is that" Videl said bitterly.

"That's something that will be kept within in the confines of this family and our closest friends" Chichi replied.

"Mrs. Son, I don't think you understand. My father is the savior of the world and the 24th WMAT champion" Videl said matter of factly.

"Yes, yes. And my name is Chichi, quarter finalist of the 23rd WMAT and daughter of the great Ox-King. And my husband is Son Goku the winner of the 23rd WMAT"

Videl was about to respond but was cut off by Chichi.

"You see Videl. I'm sure all those city folk idolize your father and yourself. But in this household titles mean nothing to us. We treat each other as equals"

With that Chichi returned to the kitchen to finish off dinner, leaving Videl to think over everything that had happened. At that point Gohan entered the kitchen wearing a fresh pair of sweat pants and a white tank top and Gohan on his shoulders.

"Take a seat you two, dinners nearly ready"

Videl smiled slightly at the brotherly bond between Gohan and Goten. Then realization hit her.

"Your'e related to the Ox-King!"

'_great'_ Gohan though in defeat.

* * *

**It seems Videl's pushy attitude has finally shone through. What will she do with this new information?**

**Find out next time.**

* * *

**(Author's note: A short chapter I know. But I wanted to update my story as quickly as possible. I promise the following chapters will be longer in length.)**


	7. Parent Problems and The Overlook

**That's right, i'm back. After I finally got back to school and wrote a few exam papers my drive to write stories has returned to me.**

**It feels good, i'll tell you that much. I would also like to thank everyone for their patience, I know it must be frustrating. Thanks for being so ****understanding... Except for a few people who sent me some pretty threatening messages demanding me to continue writing... Anyway Back to the story.**

* * *

Chapter 7 – Parent Problems and The Overlook

"You're related to the ox-king?"

'_Great'_ Gohan thought in defeat._ 'I leave Videl alone with mum for less than ten minutes, and she decides to make life worse for me'_

After taking a seat at the dining table, Gohan looked over to Videl, shock and confusion clearly evident on her face. With a straight face Gohan nodded his head.

"Yes, he's my grandfather" he explained.

"Seriously? Doesn't that make you a prince?" Videl exclaimed at this new revelation.

"Technically yes" Gohan began, "however I was never one for titles, I'd prefer to steer clear of any royal recognition. It's not as glamorous as it sounds" With that Gohan could only shrug his shoulders.

"Why's that?" Videl questioned.

"I don't want any of it. To be idolized; to be pampered, to be something I'm not. I don't like being in the spotlight."

'_He's the exactly like me; the complete opposite of my father' _Videl thought.

"Alright everyone!" interrupted Chichi "Dinner's ready"

After which the son mother proceeded to pile plates upon plates, dishes upon dishes onto the dining table. The sheer amount of food made Videl's jaw drop and her mouth water. Not only was this an incredible amount of food, but it also smelt of pure perfection; every dish looked extremely appetizing.

It was then that the small hand of Goten began to creep its way toward the mountain of food from beneath the table. Unfortunately for the young demi saiyan, his mother seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to her cooking. And in a flash the cursed frying pan seemed to appear from thin air and come crashing down onto the boy's exposed hand. Directing her patented glare on the poor boy, Chichi gave him a stern look of disapproval.

"Goten, how many times must I tell you? You will treat your guests with respect and allow them first pick, you will wait your turn. Understand?" her glare hardening with each word.

Goten could only nod in understanding as he grimaced in pain because of the pressure being applied to his hand. Almost instantly the hardened glare of the son woman completely fell from her face and was replaced with a large smile.

"Videl dear, since you're our guest you can take what you want"

Videl just nodded her head in a similar fashion to Goten, seeming to notice the large red mark that was already visible on poor Goten's hand. Giving both the son boys a once over she couldn't help but notice the large quantities of drool that poured from their mouths as they eyed the mountain of food. Deciding not to keep the boys waiting, Videl quickly piled one of every single dish onto her plate varying from meat, to vegetables, rice to bread and everything in between. The response from the Son boys was almost instantaneous, as soon as her hand retracted from the mountain of food both Goten and Gohan made a mad dash for the saiyan feast.

Before she could even register what had happened, Videl found herself witnessing both Goten and Gohan sitting at the dining table gorging on an inhuman amount of food at an equally inhuman pace. It was almost as if the concept of chewing or table manners were completely out of the question. Chichi gauged Videl's reaction with some interest and couldn't help but crack a small laugh at her look of shock and surprise.

"I swear" Chichi began as she approached Videl. "Sometimes I think they'll be the death of me"

Videl cracked a half smile at the Son mother before returning to her look of disbelief.

"I've seen Gohan eat at school before, but this is unbelievable. Where does it all go?"

Videl asked, sure Gohan did eat large quantities at school, but it was next to nothing compared to this, as well as the fact that he at least had the common decency to eat at a semi normal pace while at school.

"If I ever figure it out I'll let you know" Chichi responded to Videl's question. "They inherit it from their father if that helps. Goku would always have the same mannerisms, of all the things to inherit from him…" Chichi trailed off giving a sad smile as she remembered the days they had together.

Fearing she struck a chord Videl quickly reacted. "I'm sorry for your loss, and I'm sorry for asking about it earlier. It wasn't my place"

Chichi's features softened to the teenage girl and rewarded her with a smile.

"It's not your fault Videl; it's just hard sometimes to have a son that is a carbon copy of your husband as a child. Besides seven years is a long time to let go, I just wish Gohan was capable of doing it" The last sentence was almost a hushed whisper but didn't go unnoticed by Videl.

'_His father's death seems to have been hard on Gohan, but why is Chichi able to let go while Gohan cannot? If Gohan really does blame himself for Goku's death, then maybe he feels nothing but guilt. I can't imagine what that must feel like' _Videl thought, it made sense. And like Chichi said, Goten was almost a carbon copy of Goku. Something like that would only affect Gohan even more, seeing your father in your own brother.

"Anyway, enough of the sad talk" Chichi said, abandoning her reminiscing. "I say it's time to eat."

A rumble from her stomach was a good a reason as any for Videl to nod her head in agreement as she took a seat at the dining table, where both Goten and Gohan seemed to be having a conversation of their own.

"Hey what do you think you're doing Goten? That's my rice ball" Gohan informed.

"Nuh uh, it's mine, I was saving it" Goten shot back.

"No it's mine, I put it on my plate when we got our food and it fell onto the table while I was eating"

"No it didn't. You're just trying to steal my rice ball"

"Well I had a dozen rice balls on my plate to begin with. So the fact that I have one less either means you stole one, or that's mine"

"Yeah well you didn't… Wait, how much is a dozen?" Goten asked thoughtfully as he counted his fingers.

"Twelve, Goten" Chichi answered not leaving her meal.

"Twelve… Twelve!" Goten yelled outraged. "You got twelve! I only got ten, then that's mine" he finished gesturing to his plate which held exactly ten rice balls.

"Like hell it is" Gohan roared.

"Gohan! I will not tolerate that language in my house, and Goten I saw you put two rice balls in your pockets, care to explain that?"

Goten's face quickly paled, realizing he had been caught. He sat stammering an answer while still trying to understand his mother's sixth sense when it came to food.

"In that case" Gohan said swiftly as he snatched the rice ball in question off the table. Holding it in the air as a prized trophy he brought it to his mouth and savoured the captivating flavours that it had to offer, all the while rubbing it in Goten's face.

"Mmm… oh, this is… this is the best thing I have ever tasted… Oh it's unbelievable, incredible, delicious" Gohan faked as he brought his lips to Goten's ear. "You really missed out on something special there squirt"

The taste of victory and pout in Goten's face only further added to the wonderful flavours that the rice ball had to offer, metaphorically speaking.

All the while Videl watched the entire scene unfold with some interest and amusement. Videl had always longed for a younger sibling, but never got the opportunity ever since her mother walked away from marriage with her father. She couldn't help but envy Gohan at that moment; he had plenty, yet seemed to have a lot missing in his life.

She then turned her attention to her food. The meal was like nothing she had ever tastes, it was pure perfection. Not a single dish was left on her plate, except for a lone rice ball, figuring it must be pretty special to fight over, Videl made the decision to leave it for last. And after a single bite, she realized just why the boys spoke so highly of it.

As she returned her eyes back to the Son boys she couldn't help but crack a grin at the scene in front of her. Goten, obviously fed up with Gohan's relentless boasting had made a leap at a laughing Gohan, tackling him to the ground, engaging him in a no holds barred wrestling match on the ground. Videl watched the entire 'game' play out as Goten mounted a downed Gohan and unleashed a barrage of punches. Gohan merely protected himself with his arms, laughing during the whole ordeal. Videl cracked a smile and suppressed a laugh as the scuffle was brought to a close.

"Alright boys, that's enough" Chichi called from the kitchen.

As if on cue both Son boy's instantly stopped their actions and froze, Goten with a fist held high ready to strike and Gohan with a palm covering Goten's face. Both boys quickly and swiftly removed themselves from their odd position and proceeded to clear the dining table of any and all dishes. Noticing that Videl was eyeing her empty plate, Gohan approached her.

"You done Videl?" he asked.

His voice made Videl jump slightly. It was the first time she had questioned him since arriving back.

"Oh… ah, yes thank you Gohan" she responded.

Taking her plate, Gohan gave her a half smile.

"How was it Videl?" Chichi asked from the kitchen sink.

"It was amazing, better than anything you'll find in Satan City that's for sure. Thank you Mrs. Son"

"Well I'm happy you enjoyed it. Unlike some people who choose to swallow before tasting" Chichi said eyeing both Son boys critically, Videl giggled as she watched both boys' turn to their mother bewildered.

"And like I said before, it's Chichi" Videl just nodded her head in acknowledgement.

-Ten Minutes Later –

After the dining room table had been cleared and the son boys began cleaning the dishes it was already starting to get dark out. Checking her watch Videl could not contain a gasp.

"Oh no, it's already six thirty. I've got to get home" Videl exclaimed. She could already imagine the long speech she would get from her father for going to a boys house, but staying out late would only make the situation far worse.

"Nonsense" Chichi said. "You can't leave at this time; you'll just have to stay here."

"I appreciate the offer Mrs – I mean Chichi, but my father is pretty strict about staying out late"

"Well 'Mr Satan' better deal with it. Videl a normal flight from here to Satan City will typically take you at least 5 hours, and at this time of the year the mountain area generates some very strong head wind. The reality is that a flight from here to Satan City in these conditions could take you nearly 10 hours. You can always call your father, we are willing to accommodate for you"

Trying to figure it out in her head, Videl came to the conclusion that Chichi was right. Even a normal 5 hour flight would be tiring enough. But having to navigate through heavy winds, for such a long period of time would require absolute focus. Something Videl was somewhat lacking after an intense spar.

"Okay Chichi, I'll give my father a call"

"Excellent. You can use our phone in the kitchen"

After bypassing both Gohan and Goten, Videl proceeded to make the dreaded call to her father, expecting complete and total resistance to allow her to stay at a boys place. As soon as the phone range, Videl braced for the worst.

'_**This is the Satan residence, may I ask who is calling' **_came a crisp, professional and practiced voice on the other side.

"Benson, its Videl"

'_**Ah Miss Satan, I was wondering when we'd hear from you, is everything alright?'**_

"Everything's fine, can you put dad on the phone?"

'_**I'm afraid Mr Satan is unavailable at the moment. He left this afternoon for a business meeting'**_

Videl allowed a sigh of frustration to leave her lips. "Business my ass" she mumbled out of anger.

"Does he even know where I am?"

'_**I'm afraid I don't recall Mr Satan ever questioning me or any of the staff about your whereabouts. So I would assume he does not'**_

'_Figures' _Videl thought _'he just makes another lame excuse for a "business trip" without a single notice, and can't even be bothered to tell me himself or even check to see if I'm safe'_

"Okay, thanks Benson. I'll be staying at a friend's place tonight; I should be home midday tomorrow"

'_**Understood, will that be all Miss Satan?'**_

"Yes that's it. Bye Benson"

With that Videl hung up the phone and hung her head in frustration allowing yet another sigh to pass her lips.

All the while Gohan stood in the kitchen, who had been listening intently to the phone conversation with great interest. Although he couldn't hear it word for word, it didn't take a demi-saiyan genius prodigy to figure out that the situation had to do with her father. His features softened as he watched her face contort in frustration.

"Hey Videl you ok?" Gohan called to her.

Videl just snapped her head from the ground and looked in the general direction of the Demi-saiyan.

"Yeah, everything's fine Gohan" she called back, giving a very forced smile.

"If you say so" Gohan finished, not very convinced but let the subject slide.

After the two brothers had completed washing the dishes, everyone in the house gathered in the lounge room. Chichi, noticing that the fire place was running on only a few embers made a move for the firewood, only to find the usually occupied area was now deprived of firewood. Instantly her eyes landed on Gohan.

"Gohan honey, we are out of firewood. Would you mind?"

Nodding his head in acknowledgement, the tall teen took his blue jacket from the coat hanger, but was stopped at the door by his mother.

"Why don't you let Videl go with you?" Chichi offered.

Seeing the eminent question on Gohan's lips, Chichi quickly explained.

"You could show her the sights. Perhaps go to the overlook, it is the perfect night for it anyway."

Videl was quite surprised by Chichi's proposal, not expecting such a thing to happen after the events that had transpired throughout the day.

"I don't know mum, it's freezing out and she doesn't have a coat" Gohan shot back.

Before Chichi could even have time to respond, Videl butted in.

"Yes I do, I always come prepared" Videl explained as she took out a small container filled with multiple Capsules. After finding the right one, Videl conjured up a purple snow jacket.

"Then it's settled" Chichi finished. "Just be back by ten o'clock"

Gohan's eyes then captured Videl's; giving her a nod the two proceeded out the front door of the Son house. Deciding the best course of action, Gohan picked up the cutting axe that lay resting on the side of the house. Usually the need for an axe was rendered useless by Gohan's brute strength, but Videl seeing him punch down a 20 foot tree was something she did not need to be present for.

"Ready?" Gohan questioned the smaller girl, who just nodded in response.

The two walked in a somewhat awkward silence for a few minutes, neither knowing how to engage in conversation with one another after all the events that had happened today. The night was crisp, a slight breeze was in the air and there was already frost starting to form on the green grass. After a few more moments of walking, Videl finally realized she now had the opportunity to make amends with the Son boy.

"Where exactly are we going?" she asked as they continued through a small forest area.

"A bit further down" Gohan explained. "This whole mountain area is owned by my grandfather. So we basically can do whatever we want with the vegetation out here. There's a much more dense forest further down just past this clearing. The trees there make the best firewood that lasts for a very long time."

Videl nodded in understanding the boys' explanation.

"So you live off the land I take it"

Gohan just shrugged his shoulders. "More or less, we usually do a lot of fishing and hunting, as well as farming. But it's difficult to grow crops at this time of the year, and animals tend to hibernate at this time. So we make trips to a nearby village every so often for food and anything else that we may need"

"I can see why you live out here" Videl stated as she looked to the sky to witness the sight of limitless stars that lit up the entire sky like candles. It was quite the far cry from the city sky which was ruined by the light pollution of Satan City's night life.

"Yeah I enjoy living out here. I've lived here my whole life, like my father and his grandfather"

"What about your father's father?" Videl asked without thinking.

Gohan gave her a quick glance. "He died when my dad was a baby, and so did his mum"

Videl couldn't prevent a shocked expression from making its way to her face. It just seemed she had a knack for reminding the Son family of painful memories.

"I'm so sorry Gohan I didn't know"

Gohan just responded with a stare, it wasn't mad, in fact it held no anger. It seemed to be full of forgiveness and understanding.

"Look, its fine. Don't be so hard on yourself there's no way you could have known. It's okay to be curious I don't hold it against you, I'm not exactly your average city teenage boy"

Videl gave a sigh in relief, had the roles been reversed, Videl probably would have decked the person for being so careless in their questioning. Proving that Gohan had a more caring side to him then he let on.

"I've got a question, what's it like living in the city?" Gohan wondered.

"I thought you'd know, after all Bulma Briefs is your god mother"

"That is true, but West City and Satan City aren't really all that similar. West City is the centre of the world's business headquarters. While Satan City is more residential, you know houses, shopping centres, and night clubs"

Conceding his point Videl thought for an answer to Gohan's question. "It's… Not bad, I mean I like the city, but there are just things about it that are lacking. Out here you have all this freedom, but the city just feels cramped."

Gohan seemed to understand her point of view and got exactly where she was coming from.

"I'll take your word for it" Gohan stated, as the two finally managed to reach the dense forest Gohan had talked about earlier. "Here we are"

"This is it huh?" Videl questioned.

The forest was very widespread, full of trees so tall that the top wasn't it even in sight. The grass was painted nearly full white because of dew and frost, and there was a small layer of fog covering the ground. It also had a very eerie vibe to it, like something out of one of those cliché horror movies.

Videl watched Gohan as he seemed to inspect his surrounding, surveying every tree for the perfect firewood. His gaze then landed on a single tree. It had to be at least 15 to 20 metres tall (Around 49 to 65 feet) and was supported by an extremely thick trunk.

"Yeah, this one looks good" Gohan seemed to explain to himself.

"Isn't it a little… big" Videl said for lack of a better word. "I mean it would probably take you forever to cut it down, and then carry it all the way back to your place"

Gohan eyed Videl critically. Just how weak was the average person? He wondered to himself.

"Don't worry about it. I've done this plenty of times before, it shouldn't take too long" Gohan answered.

This time Videl eyed the boy critically as he began stretching his arms and had a few practice swings before approaching the trunk of the massive tree.

'_Let's see here' _Gohan thought _'I'll probably want to take at least five to ten chops to bring it down. That means I'll have to use… This much force?'_

However almost instantly he knew he had miscalculated… Big time. As soon as the axe made contact with the bark, it seemed to strike clean through the tree bringing the skyscraper tree down with a single action.

He watched the tree fall flat on the ground as if in slow motion. All the while Videl couldn't keep her jaw from hanging wide open at the spectacle. Her gaze then landed on Gohan who rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Ummm, yeah. Like I said… I've done this plenty of times before" Gohan explained with a chuckle of amusement at Videl's reaction.

"But… you… the tree and… one swing?" Videl stammered.

"That's what you get for being taught martial arts your whole life and living in the mountain area. Now what's say we get this tree cut up and transported home?"

Videl nodded her head bewildered at the sheer strength and power Gohan was able to generate.

'_Well that was a disaster' _Gohan stated in his mind. _'If she already knows that I am capable of doing that, I might as well make this process as quick as possible'_

With that Gohan proceeded to cut the fallen tree into the smaller pieces, with extreme accuracy, power and efficiency. Leaving Videl gobsmacked at how he managed to leave every cut piece, almost identical in size and shape.

With the deed done, Gohan began picking up the firewood and stacking each piece on top of one another. All the while Videl stood watching with silent amazement.

"Want to give me a hand?" Gohan questioned.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Videl marched over to Gohan, and began to stack the pieces of firewood in the same fashion that Gohan had just done. Videl could only marvel further at the strength and balance on display of Gohan. He had left the axe at the site of the tree saying he'd come back for more firewood in the morning and was now carrying two stacks of firewood in both hands. Both of which made Videl's dwarf in comparison.

The two then walked in a very peaceful silence, listening to the soft breeze and rustling of trees and bushes.

"What time is it?" Gohan asked breaking the silence.

Checking her watch before responding, she turned to Gohan. "It's ten past eight" she informed him. He nodded his head seeming to be deep in thought.

"Well we have nearly two hours till we have to be back, how about I show you the overlook?"

"What's the 'overlook'?"

"It's a small cliff area not far from here, it looks over the nearly all of the mountain area. And on a night like this it's about as good as it gets"

"Sure, that sounds good"

Both teens began walking to the overlook, with Gohan explaining the complexities and privileges of living in the mountain area, and Videl talking the same about Satan City. They then arrived at a small hill where they dumped the firewood and would continue the hike up the mountain and collect the firewood on the way back.

Usually Videl would have no problem with such a leisurely walk, but the exhaustion from carrying the firewood and the difficulty in breathing the mountain air made the task far more strenuous. But once the two reached the top, she was well rewarded for her efforts.

On the top stood a singular oak tree, which was surrounded by traces of ice because of the altitude and sheer drop in temperature. But the thing that stood out more than anything was the incredible view that awaited the two teens.

The hill stood atop a giant cliff face, which overlooked an entire valley littered with forestation, luscious vegetation and multiple small bodies over water which flowed and curved through the whole landscape. The stars seemed practically endless and the moon illuminated the entire area. Videl stared in amazement at the sheer beauty of nature.

"It's… Amazing" Videl said unable to put it into words.

"I know" Gohan responded as he sat on the damp grass with his back supported by the oak tree trunk. "I come here a lot. It's a good place to think things over and clear your mind"

Videl could see why, the serene backdrop and peacefulness of it all could clear even the cloudiest of minds. Soon Videl decided to relax herself and found a seat beside Gohan.

"You're very lucky, you know that?" Videl stated.

Gohan nodded his head. "I know. But not everything comes without a price; our family has had to sacrifice plenty to set up a life here."

"Like what?"

"A social life for one. I've only ever had one friend my age before coming to Satan City, a girl called Lime. But we sort of lost contact over the years. The only friends I've been able to maintain are all good friend of my parents. Plus if you haven't noticed we don't exactly get the easy life, we work for everything on a day to day basis. Though I wouldn't have it any other way" with that Gohan just smiled, this was _his _life.

'_Man, it was his first time ever having a social life. And yet I made life so difficult for him'_

Videl thought to herself. She realized that she hadn't been fair on the poor Son boy. Not only had he never been able to have friends his own age, but didn't have any close friends to talk to when his father past away.

Just then a heavy breeze blew right past the two teens, making Videl shiver substantially and pull her legs to her body to keep warm. Noticing this Gohan stripped himself of his blue jacket and tossed it to Videl, who was confused to say the least.

"I don't need this, you keep it" Videl protested.

"I can hear your teeth chattering, don't worry about me. Besides you need it way more than I do"

"But you'll get sick" Videl countered.

"Unlikely. I've been exposed to this cold for my whole life, in fact I can't even tell the difference. The only reason I got the jacket in the first place was in case it rained. But I can't really see why I bothered; there isn't a cloud in the sky"

Conceding his point, Videl reluctantly slipped the jacket over her purple one. The process was extremely simple due to the sheer size of Gohan; the jacket was far bigger and longer then her jacket and hung all the way down to her knees.

"Better?" Gohan questioned.

"Yes, thankyou"

"I think we'd better get going. It's late"

Checking her watch Videl was quite surprised. The device read 9:37. They must have been sitting there for nearly an hour. The time had simply flown by.

"Let's go" Videl agreed.

Through some carefully placed steps, the two managed to reach the bottom of the hill in one piece and collected their firewood.

"Gohan, I just wanted to thank you. For taking me out there" Videl said just as the small dome house came into view.

Rewarding her with a small smirk Gohan replied. "It was my pleasure Videl. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"And if it's any consolation… I'm sorry"

"For what?" Gohan asked tensing up, not expecting those words.

"For giving you such a hard time. It was your first time at public school and I didn't really cut you that much slack."

"No need" Gohan replied. "I'm not exactly the easiest people to figure out, and there's a lot I keep hidden. As long as we are still friends, I'm fine."

Videl smiled at the Son boy. "I share that sentiment"

* * *

**A bit longer than my previous chapters which are usually around 2000 words, when this is almost 5000 words. Hope you liked it, i'm quite pleased with this chapter.**

**Also I would like to make a quick note. Some people have been offering me constructive criticism which is helpful. But some people seem to have difficulty understanding the difference between constructive criticism and trying to force me to change some aspects of my story. Please understand that is my story and will write it the way I see fit.**

**With that said, hope you enjoyed this chapter. **

**\- Aus Wild Thing**


	8. Memories Of the Painful Variety

Chapter 8 - Memories Of The Painful Variety

**Videl smiled at the Son boy. "I share that sentiment"**

Returning the raven haired girl a smile of his own, Gohan tilted his head towards the closed door that would lead to the Son family house. The two entered the house to witness Chichi reading a book on the living room sofa, with Goten sleeping beside her and a content smile etched onto his face as Chichi massaged his head softly with her free hand. After hearing a disturbance behind her, the Son woman whipped her head around to spot both Gohan and Videl standing silently in the door frame. Judging by the way both teens were smiling, Chichi was able to deduce that the two had managed to make amends to whatever altercation they had earlier in the day. In her movement however she slightly disturbed the sleeping seven year old making his face switch to one of discomfort; luckily Chichi quickly stopped her actions making the boy settle into his slumber once more. Chichi then allowed a sigh of relief to pass through her lips, it was no easy task getting a demi saiyan to bed and Goten had a tendency to drive Chichi to the point of frustration after repeated attempts of settling the child.

Bringing her finger to her lips signalling the universal gesture to keep quiet; Chichi then motioned for both Gohan and Videl to place the collected firewood at the front of the fireplace, to which both nodded and carefully placed the wood on the ground so they wouldn't wake the sleeping form of Goten. Gohan then took the liberty of keeping the few embers remaining in the fireplace alive by supplying it with more firewood.

"Thank-you both of you" Chichi thanked her voice barely above half its usual volume. After checking the clock on the wall, which now read ten thirty, Chichi made the decision to turn in for the night, having to prepare food for two demi saiyans was certainly straining on the body. "Well I'm going to bed, will you two stay up?" Chichi asked. After taking a small glance at Videl, Gohan was able to determine that now was a good enough time for bed as any.

"I think we'll go to bed now" Gohan responded only to have a thought cross his mind. "Wait, where's Videl going to sleep?"

"In your room" Chichi answered as if the answer was plain as day. "Unless you want to sleep on the couch and incur the wrath of waking Goten"

That was more than enough of a reason to agree. While Chichi usually took charge of sending Goten to bed, Gohan had experienced firsthand the almost impossible task on a number of occasions, long story short, Gohan didn't quite have to patience for children; well, saiyan children that is.

"No thanks" Gohan answered. "I'd much rather get more than one hour of sleep tonight" After chuckling at her sons joke, Chichi bid the two teens a good night and returned to her only sanctuary away from stress and saiyans, her bedroom.

Gohan now retreated into the hall seeming to have an idea in mind, leaving Videl alone with the sleeping Goten. Videl allowed this time to study the young boy, she could only smile at the peacefulness of everything, his content smile, his wildly unruly hair, it was the pure embodiment of cute; and the word 'cute' was something Videl rarely every used to describe anything, but with Goten there wasn't a single word that fit the bill as perfectly as cute or even adorable.

Now entering back into the lounge room with a blanket in hand, Gohan carefully placed the woollen blanket over his younger brother and with great ease replaced his head support with a bed pillow, as well as picking up a stuffed purple dragon, which was reminiscent of Icarus off the floor and set it beside the boy. After being plagued by nightmares for a week when he was four, Gohan gave Goten ownership of the plush toy saying it would scare away all the bad dreams. To Goten's amazement it appeared to have worked, though Gohan speculated it was all because of Goten's inability to accept his father's absence and simply needed something to take his mind away from the pain, ever since the boy was almost incapable of going to bed without being in the company his dragon. Smiling at the memories, Gohan brought his face to Goten's forehead and kissed it gently.

"Sleep well squirt" he whispered softly into the boys here, the act of which made the boy emit a small laugh as the air entered his ear.

Videl watched the tender moment in silence, allowing a smile to reach the corners of her mouth. It was clear that Gohan cared very much for his younger brother regardless of whether he had to act as a father or sibling, however it did make the situation trivial in Videl's mind; obviously Goten was aware Gohan was not biologically his father, but how much did he know of his true father? Had he even met him before?

All of these questions and more she wanted to ask the boy, all she wanted to do was pick the teenagers brain, gain information and hopefully gain an understanding to the true person that Gohan was, as was Videl's intention with every new face that she encountered. In fact her fanatical and excessive questioning gained her incredible knowledge of almost all her peers, so much so that Videl was certain she could name the birthdays, fears, hobbies and full names of every one at Orange Star High. But to her misfortune the subject of Son Goku was extremely delicate, one that was evident with the conversation the two were engaged in while they sparred, and as far as the girl was concerned it wasn't beneficial or fair on Gohan to forcefully extract such precious and painful information from him.

Her thoughts on how to approach such an unusual situation like this one were then brought to a halt when she was addressed by the Son boy. "I think we should get to bed" he claimed with a small shrug. Videl was about to respond in agreement but couldn't contain a loud yawn which made Gohan chuckle. "I assume you agree" Gohan said trying to contain his laughter in the presence of Goten.

As the two headed towards Gohan and Goten's room Videl felt that after such an intense day she was in desperate need of some relief. "I think I'm going to have a shower first" she told Gohan, to which the boy nodded his understanding.

"The bathrooms at the end of the hall, there should be a dry towel on the rack; do you have a change of clothes?" Gohan explained and asked. The answer he got was a capsule being brought to his face.

"I'm way ahead of you" Videl said with a smug smile, making Gohan grin in response.

-10 minutes later-

The shower was slightly too cold for Videl's liking, especially during such an intensely freezing night, but it was refreshing, capable of clearing the girls slightly clouded mind after the past events during the last twenty four hour period. After changing into her pyjamas, which consisted of a pair of black pyjama pants and her usual baggy white shirt, Videl made her way to Gohan's room, carefully and quietly passing by Chichi's room on the way.

As the girl approached the door, she acted without thinking and opened to door without considering the possibility of knocking. As the door swung open she could only gasp at its contents. The room was small but very quaint as was the entire house for that matter. Off to the left side of the room was a wall full of colourful drawings and toys littered on the floor, no doubt the material possessions of the younger part of the Son brothers. On the right side it was nearly a polar opposite, everything was perfectly neat and nothing was out of place; set against the wall was a desk with a laptop set directly in the middle, the rest of the tables contents consisted of stacks of various text books and papers that contained information on nearly all the most advanced subjects, science, biology, psychology and advanced mathematics. And in the back corner was a tall wooden bookshelf that was stocked to the maximum load with literature.

However the one thing that made the girl do a complete double take was what was located or rather stood in the middle of the room. There clad in only a pair of blue tracksuit pants and no shirt was none other than Gohan, all top half of his skin completely exposed. While Videl had been witness to the boy in a training gi, it simply did not do the boy complete justice. Now standing without a top made it evident just how seriously Gohan took his training. The chiselled form of Gohan looked like it was sculpted from marble by the greatest sculptors the world had ever produced; his arms were defined and suited his tall and lean figure perfectly. The bare chest was home to a rock hard six pack and pectoral muscles, his shoulders appeared almost twice as broad as usual and his face even seemed more defined when the shirt was disposed of. But what stood out the most above these flawless features was the sheer amount of scars that littered the boy's battle worn body, there were countless large gashes that varied in length and depth all around his chest and shoulders, the one however which stood out the most was the infamous scar that ran from Gohan's left shoulder all the way past his bicep and faded as it began to reach his wrist. The aforementioned boy then gave the girl a look of surprise not expecting an unannounced entry from the Satan girl; however he was incapable of capturing the girl's attention who was now staring off into space.

Just how flawless could a body get? Was it possible that gods truly did live among humanity taking the forms of mere men? Because that was the only way to justify such perfection, there was no genetic or biological makeup that could allow a human to achieve results of this extent. Videl had been witness to hundreds of students at the Satan dojo, but none managed to hold a candle to Gohan, not even Hercule himself.

'_Was Gohan always like this? Surely not… I mean I don't remember him being so se… Whoa! Back it up girl, this is Gohan were talking about, do not succumb to temptation' _Videl mentally willed herself, just in time to be brought back to reality by Gohan clicking his fingers in front of the girls face making her step back in surprise.

"You alright there?" Gohan asked once he finally managed to get the girls undivided attention.

"No, I'm fine" Videl responded a little too quickly with a tone which was full of apprehension, making the girl once again mentally punish herself.

"If you say so" Gohan responded as the dug through his drawer and pulling out a grey tank top which he put over his bare chest making Videl relax while also curing her staring problem. It was then that she noticed her sleeping arrangements which weren't exactly ideal after the immediate events that had just passed. In the centre of the room were two single beds, both of which were pressed as close to one another as possible practically turning it into a double bed… Which she would have to share with Gohan.

In order to replace those unnerving thoughts Videl began survey her surroundings a bit more closely and spotted a picture frame set on top of Gohan's work desk, it was a simple silver bordered picture frame with what looked to be a large group photo inside. Upon closer inspection, Videl was able to identify some of the faces within the picture. The location looked to be out the front of the Son residence, with Bulma Briefs smiling widely standing beside that angry Vegeta guy who stood arms crossed and a frown that showed no emotion, behind them with a smirk on his face was a tall teenager with long purple hair and blue spandex that matched Vegeta's. On the other side of the picture was the easily identifiable Chichi, who had a grin on her face and a hand placed on the arm of a similar aged man; Videl then put two and two together and noted the wild black hair and orange gi.

'_Son Goku'_ she mentally claimed. Her attention then turned to the last figure in the photo, a smaller boy of about ten or eleven, he was clad in a purple gi and his hair was just as messy as Goku's and he was holding the peace sign in front of his face with a large toothy smile plastered on his face. It didn't take Videl long to identify the young boy as her fellow classmate. She then looked back and forth between Gohan and the picture, noting the similarities that the present Gohan bore with his younger counterpart.

"Is this you?" she asked gesturing to the small boy in the photo. Gohan quickly examined the photo and gave a sad smile.

"Yeah that's me" Gohan responded.

"And him" Videl said now pointing at Goku "He's your dad?" Gohan responded with a silent nod. "The picture was taken about a week before he died" he informed. A small silence then fell over the two teens; Videl silently placed the frame back to its original position and got herself situated on her temporary bed and pulled the covers over her and laid back with her eyes situated solely on the roof.

Deciding that now was the appropriate time to get some much needed sleep, Gohan turned off the lights and proceeded to his side of the bed and got himself comfortable under the covers just as Videl had done earlier. He then relaxed in a state of concentration, wondering whether or not Videl's curiosity would have a positive or negative effect on his and her life, as if by magic, said curiosity decided to peak once more.

"Did Goten ever..." Videl trailed off trying to find the right words in an effort to not seem overly pushy or forceful. "_Know_ his father?" she could almost feel the stiffening and tenseness of Gohan after the question escaped her mouth.

Gohan took a moment to contemplate the question to its full extent, he could tell just by the tone of Videl's voice that it wasn't her usual demanding of answers to gain information, but rather one of intrigue and perhaps even to some extent, sympathy. He allowed his breath to come out in shorter and more rapid bursts at the magnitude of such a question, but at this point he came to realize the truth was what she deserved.

"No, he _left_ us just before Goten was born" Gohan replied stiffly carefully choosing his wording, while it was true his father had died for his mistake, it was only because of his decision that he remained that way. And while most everyone saw his actions as heroic and noble, Gohan saw through the smoke and mirrors and refused to believe that his assumptions were accurate or deem his actions as remarkable. While his mother took Goku's absence very hard, Gohan was left to wonder for seven years if his father intentionally wished to remain dead for another reason, this managed to slowly escalate to some harboured resentment for being left with a mother and brother in such a broken state.

"Do you still miss him?" Videl questioned. After hearing Chichi speak about her lost husband, Videl couldn't help but notice how highly she spoke of Goku and how the pain of loss was still present just below the surface. And while it was obvious Gohan felt some sort of twisted guilt from this horrific situation, Videl couldn't help but notice Gohan's hesitation when she addressed the question to him.

The pause was longer than either expected, Gohan mentally weighed his answer, carefully measuring every available option that he could process through his mind; he desperately wanted to confirm his sadness at his father's absence, but with all his might he couldn't bring himself to come clean. While his ten or eleven year old self would have instantly answered with a 'yes' the Gohan of the present was reluctant to do so. While he did miss his father to some extent, he had to admit to himself that he had spent most his entire life feeling that way, ever since he was four years old, that is, the absence of his father had been something of a regular occurrence. It was true over the last seven years his mother and closest friends believed that Gohan was incapable of coming to terms with Goku's death; the reality however, was far more complicated.

"I… Don't know" Gohan answered now unsure of how to answer such a question.

The answer made Videl cringe, it was certainly not the expected response, but it held far more meaning than a simple 'yes or no' answer. Videl wasn't stupid, while most people would write his answer off as one of denial or inability to accept the truth, Videl was more than capable of reading people and could hear the sincerity in his voice, one that indicated a clash of different emotions and hesitance. Deciding the best course of action was to end the conversation where it was Videl directed her sentence back to the Son boy.

"Well I'm tired, goodnight Gohan" Videl said, leaving her some time to ponder the small amount of information she was able to obtain. Meanwhile Gohan quietly laid next to her concentrating on the conversation that just transpired before responding to the girl's abrupt end to their talk.

"Goodnight Videl" the boy said in barely a whisper, one that went almost unregistered by the raven haired teenager. The night however contrary to what words had been exchanged; the night would not be so good for one of the duo.

2:49 am

Gohan tossed and turned for what felt like the millionth time in the past hour, eyes clenched shut with full force, Gohan mentally willed himself to succumb to sleep, but his body was not willing to even attempt such a request in fact it downright refused. After half an hour of inability to sleep Gohan became frustrated, and the more he readjusted the more his anger became more and more infuriating. He shifted constantly, counted sheep, got a glass of water and then milk, nothing worked.

He then looked towards the bed beside him to witness his classmate sleeping soundly as if it was the easiest thing in the world, her breathe came in short bursts and her delicate hand was stretched out over onto Gohan's bed. He couldn't help but crack a small smile at the peacefulness of her slumber, in the short time Gohan had known the girl, he knew it was an extremely rare occurrence for Videl to ever be peaceful, despite this coming as a result of her being asleep, it was still something Gohan was sure many few were actually present for.

However these thoughts did not aid the boy in his mission to manage a single second of sleep, he then lay back for the umpteenth time and stared blankly at the roof, as if expecting to see some sort of answers for his struggles. But as expected the roof held no answers. Sighing again Gohan sat up once more only to be subjected to a great stabbing pain in his mind. He clutched his head with both hands and tried to release a loud scream in agony, only for his mouth to remain silent.

As the pain began to intensify, the teen could feel his forehead become drenched in sweat, then his eyes became blank, staring into a the void as if leaving the world for a split second. Images began to flash in front of the boy's eyes, some of the most important events that had lead Gohan to this stage in his life.

He watched his father, restraining his relentless Saiyan brother Raditz, just as a purple Ki blast pierced through his chest, killing them both on impact. He allowed a scream to enter his mind, as he was overcome with a mix of anger and sadness, the identical emotions he felt when it was revealed to him that his father had been killed during the incident.

He waited, waited, and waited for his father to make and entrance and stand against both Vegeta and Nappa, expecting a heroic show of bravery and victory, only to feel the pain of being the punching bag for the brute Nappa.

He witnessed the legendary transformation to Super Saiyan in the company of the tyrant Frieza, the shock overwhelming the boy, making him indecisive, even when his father issued him a simple order. "Take Piccolo and get out of here!" the words which made Gohan flinch in surprise at the commanding tone that they held.

He wished that his father would be alright, remaining unsure as to whether his father would somehow make a miraculous escape from Namek or would perish with the dying planet, the suspense left him hoping that everything would somehow turn out the way it was supposed to, with his father joining him once again on earth.

He wanted to take back his actions at the Cell games, the transformation that turned him to a hybrid of pure rage and little sense of morality, with only the intention of hurting the one who had caused him pain, causing the death of his father for the second time.

He wallowed in self-pity and guilt, after being told by his own father that he would not be returning he was now conflicted between kick starting a breakdown of epic proportions and disapproving of his father's chosen path.

Sadness turned to anger.

Pain turned to blame.

Calmness turned to outrage.

Love was…

Turning to hate.

Suddenly the pain in Gohan's head subsided; the flashbacks came to an end and his sweating ceased completely. He sat right up, looking around the room frantically noticing no difference in his environment; he turned back to Videl and sighed in relief to see that she had not been disturbed. Laying back into his bed, Gohan was left to question what had just transpired. He had never known such a horrific psychological pain could affect anyone. The sensation he knew was not because of sleep deprivation, it was not a nightmare. It was terrifying; reliving the most gruesome of events of the young demi saiyans life was certainly no fun experience.

Staring back to the roof, Gohan refused to close his eyes. He didn't want to sleep anymore, he didn't want to dream, and he didn't want these memories anymore.

7:32 am – A single beam of light managed to find the smallest crack in the curtains against the window. With perfect precision, the ray of light landed directly on a certain raven haired teens closed eyes, the act of doing so however, quickly changed the state of her sleep. With her eyes all of a sudden burning through her eyelids, Videl was awoken from her peaceful slumber. Sitting up slowly, the girl quickly scanned her surroundings and was surprised to bear witness to an environment that was most certainly not her room. It took the girl a few more seconds to register where she was, and soon the memories of how she was in this situation began to follow.

Finally remembering everything that had happened in the past twenty four hours, Videl turned her gaze to the bed on her left, expecting to see a certain tall teen sleeping. To her surprise however, the bed was not only empty, but was made perfectly, leaving no trace or evidence of it ever being used. Rising from her zombie like mode, the girl stood straight and began her small routine of early morning stretches, the act of doing so made a few crack of bones resound through the small room. The girl grunted as each arm and leg began to show signs of gentle pains with each manoeuvre, it would seem her body was trying to tell her that the earlier sparring session may have been one too many.

After a few more minutes of this, Videl made her exit and started towards the kitchen area, where she was happily greeted by the one and only Chichi, whom was slaving over yet another large quantity of food, with an impatient Goten eyeing every meal hungrily. Were it not for the threat of being scolded by Chichi, the young demi saiyan would have already inhaled the food without a second thought.

"Good morning Videl" Chichi called to the girl as she brought a mountain of bacon to the dining table. "Good morning" Videl replied happily.

"Sleep well?" Videl just nodded at the woman's question, surprising herself. She could not even recall waking for a single second throughout the night.

"That's good. Would you mind waking up Gohan, Goten's getting a bit restless and I can't guarantee there'll be anything left when he gets here" Chichi claimed. However all she received from the girl was a confused look.

"I thought Gohan was already awake. His bed was made by the time I woke up" Videl stated.

Now it was Chichi's turn to seem confused. Looking at the girl in bewilderment, it certainly wasn't like Gohan to wake up early, let alone skip one of his three most favourite parts of the day (Breakfast, lunch and dinner obviously).

"Where could he have gone?" Chichi asked herself, trying to figure out where he would want to go at such early hours of the morning and for what purpose. Capsule Corp? Highly unlikely, Vegeta only wished to spar in the afternoon and Gohan had no business with Trunks or Bulma as far as she knew. The lookout, more probable, but surely not, Gohan didn't have any reason to speak with Piccolo, he only visited his former mentor around once a month and he only saw him a week ago. Sighing, Chichi was unable to find a solution. "Do you know where he might have gone Goten?" Chichi addressed her son.

Bringing his hand to his chin deep in thought, though in truth he was scanning the surrounding area for his brother's Ki, but for some odd reason it appeared he was masking his Ki. Goten began running through the possibilities just like his mother, though he kept getting distracted by the intoxicating aromas of food that hindered his thinking capacity somewhat. After some 'careful' deliberation, the boy merely shrugged. "Nope" he responded.

This time however the Satan girl offered her knowledge. "He did say something about getting more firewood last night. Maybe he's out there right now" Videl suggested.

Chichi carefully regarded the girl for a few seconds; it wasn't like Gohan to take such a task in the early hours of the morning, certainly not before breakfast. But she had to concede the young girls point, after all it was the most likely. But she couldn't help her motherly instincts from turning to overdrive and fretting over every horrible situation that may have overwhelmed her son.

Seeing the wave of emotions pour onto the older woman's face, Videl couldn't help but feel sympathetic, it was the same face her father gave her whenever she would attempt something even remotely dangerous; while she typically scolded him for being over protective at times, she knew he was merely worried for her wellbeing and wanted to see her safe.

"I could go get him for you" Videl offered.

"I couldn't ask you to do that Videl" Chichi countered. "I appreciate it, but it's dangerous out there alone. I'm sure wherever Gohan is he's safe, I don't wish to trouble you"

Videl however shook her head, not willing to be deterred. "It's not problem at all, I'll be fine" she stated with confidence.

After weighing the options through her head, Chichi decided that Videl's actions would in fact offer her the peace of mind she required in this situation. Nodding in agreement, Chichi spoke once more. "Thank-you Videl, please be careful… And don't forget your coat"

Videl cracked a smile at the Son mother; it had been too long since she had to deal with motherly problems. While it did leave her with more freedom, Videl would be lying to herself if she said she didn't miss it. Taking her coat, the girl set out to the cold crisp morning to locate her semi missing friend. She carefully followed the walk that she and Gohan had taken the previous night, hoping to reach the same forest area where they found the firewood.

Dew still remained on the damp grass as before, but now in larger quantities. The air was thick and almost completely frozen as it entered the girls mouth with each inhale, the wind, though subtle was most certainly present and did very well in making the already cold climate, much colder. Bringing her tingling hands to her mouth, Videl attempted to breathe warm air onto her exposed palms to warm herself up, but to no avail, the warm sensation was abolished as soon as it appeared.

As the girl was passing yet another clearing, she noticed two foreign objects a bit further away lying on the wet grass. Upon closer inspection, Videl noted that it was a large stack of firewood cut perfectly rectangular and propped against the pile was the durable woodcutters axe. Surveying her surroundings, Videl searched for the dark haired teen, expecting him to be close by. Her gaze then landed on a very familiar looking hill, it took her a moment to register the fact that it was the famous 'overlook' from last night. After processing the evidence placed conveniently in front of her, Videl deduced that the source of her search was located at the top of the hill.

Upon reaching the top, Videl found her guess to be correct. Sitting cross legged on the top of the hill, underneath the lone oak tree was the still figure of Gohan. Clad in a black gi with red sash and undershirt, Gohan sat completely not moving in any capacity. From the angle she was standing at, Videl could see that the boy's eyes were sealed shut, the calm, frosty wind made his black hair dance with the pattern, the single bang that hung over his head now fluttered to the side. All of this however had no effect on the Son boy. His eye's remained sealed, his facial features showed evidence of being deep in concentration.

After examining the boy closely, Videl was bewildered at what the boy was hoping to accomplish by sitting in such a position. "Gohan?" Videl called softly, her voice just piercing through the thick wind. However the message seemed to not reach Gohan who remained perfectly still. Walking a few feet closer, Videl addressed the boy again.

"Gohan?" No response. A little closer and a little louder.

"Gohan?" still no response.

Walking another metre closer, Videl reached out to place a hand on the boy's stocky shoulder. However just as her hand was about to make contact, her wrist was captured by an iron grip before she could even register a single movement. As the girl's eyes widened with shock, her attention turned to her wrist which was now captured by the hand of the non-moving Gohan. Her gaze then turned to the boy's face, which was now turned to focus back onto Videl's face. The two stayed in that position for a few moments, before Gohan registered what was going on, turning his stare back to his hand, his eye's turned to one of surprise to see his hand encompassing the girl's small wrist.

Instantly relinquishing his grip, Gohan sighed. "Sorry… Reflex" Gohan explained as turned his head back to his lap and ran a hand through his jet black hair, giving another sigh. It didn't take a genius to see that Gohan was out of it, judging by the tired look and depressive attitude he employed.

"Gohan? Are you okay?" Videl asked. It was certainly odd to see this dejected look on the face of Gohan of all people. Turning his face back to the girl, Videl mentally gasped at the sight. The boy looked completely out of it, his shoulders were slouched and his eyes were giving a blank stare that held no meaning.

"I didn't get much sleep last night" the boy explained, trying to put an end to this conversation. He knew that he was in for a session of worrying mother when he got home, and he didn't want a pre session with Videl.

"Gohan, not sleeping means you fall asleep at the dinner table, I'm not sure it means you leave home at sunrise. What's wrong, really?" There was no mistaking the worry in the girl's voice. It not only surprised Gohan, but also Videl herself. Why was this such an important matter to the girl anyway? Regardless, the question still stood. Scratching the back of his head as was his second nature, Gohan sighed aloud. The girl was certainly more observant than he would have wanted.

"I had a few… Nightmares" Gohan stated, trying to explain the situation as best he could. While he could just have easily said it was flash backs or memories, Gohan didn't want people thinking he was mentally unstable.

"About what?" Videl asked now sitting beside the boy.

"_A lot_ of things" Gohan murmured cryptically.

"But what _specifically?_" Videl urged.

"Does it matter?"

"It's better to talk about it rather than keep it bottled up" Videl encouraged.

"It's just…" Gohan trailed off, trying to finish his sentence. "It's complicated" he sighed once again, now it was becoming a common trait of Gohan's this morning. "They weren't just nightmares, they were… My memories"

"Memories?" Videl wondered. It wasn't uncommon for people to be subjected to nightmares or night terrors on a regular basis. But reliving past events of a person's life wasn't exactly something everyone witnessed. "A lot of things have happened in my life" Gohan claimed. "Each event seems to get progressively worse than the previous one"

Videl meanwhile listened intently, wishing to soak up as much information regarding her friend as she could. It was clear that beneath the surface of Gohan's happy exterior, lay a lot of unspoken emotions. She kept her mouth shut, even as Gohan stopped speaking, leaving the two in an all too familiar silence. Before Gohan's stomach was once again on hand to suggest the next move, the loud rumble echoed around the surrounding mountains making Videl giggle and Gohan allow a small chuckle to pass his lips.

"Looks like it's time for breakfast" Gohan suggested with a half-smile that Gohan conjured with as much happy thoughts as he could muster. Videl however was still sceptical and was capable of seeing through his failed attempts, but let it slide. Everyone had their down moments after all.

After collecting the firewood and axe, the two set course for the Son household. Both walked in relative silence, taking in the serene back drop and surroundings that they were present to witness. After finally arriving at the household, Gohan braced for the worst as he slowly turned to door handle with a wince plastered on his face. Upon entering the poor boy was bombarded by the combination of Chichi's disapproval, scolding, worrying and relief. In this situation Gohan merely nodded every couple of seconds as his mother droned on about "Scaring the life out of her" and "Having no consideration for his family by leaving without warning" and something along the lines of "Acting like a hoodlum" while Gohan tolerated this with the best of his abilities. The next line caused something inside him to have difficulty.

"You're just like your father I swear, always running off an-" The son mother was then cut off by her son sending a chilling look towards her and speaking cold and barely in a whisper.

"I am nothing like dad, don't compare me to him" the sentence came without any control on the demi saiyans part. Gohan was unable to even stop himself from saying it. The result of his words however seemed to make the whole household grow quiet, not only was his tone cold, but the wording threw everyone off guard. Chichi stopped her seemingly endless tirade, Goten brought his face from his mountain of food and Videl sat wide eyed.

"Gohan?" Chichi asked now disposing of her angry side and leaving only her over protective worried mother mentality.

"I'm sorry mum, I just…" casting his eyes down and clenching his fist absentmindedly, Gohan tried to appease his mother, not meaning to act so cold to her "I have a lot on my mind" he finished. The tension was almost palpable in the room; Gohan silently walked over to the dinner table and took a seat beside Videl and Goten. After eyeing the food closely, Gohan's saiyan pit rumbled in response, making Goten burst into hysterics, putting a hold on the tense atmosphere.

Offering Goten a weak smile, Gohan began to pile his desired food onto his plate and gorged himself on the fine cuisine, making the effort to avoid eye contact with his mother. Chichi however chuckled lightly at her son's Saiyan genetics and decided to talk about the issue with Gohan privately at a later date.

9:14 a.m. – With a wonderful breakfast being put to an end, Videl checked her wrist watch. The time it read was around the designated time allocation Videl had set herself to leave. After quickly changing into her usual baggy fighter clothes, Videl head back into the lounge room where all three of the Son family waited.

"I've really got to go" Videl announced. "I just wanted to say thanks for the food and hospitality Chichi" she then allowed herself to give a small bow of the head in courtesy. Chichi however simply waved away the gesture.

"Anytime my dear, don't be a stranger were always willing to have Gohan's friends over" Chichi responded happily. "Gohan, see Videl out the door would you?"

Nodding his head, Gohan stood from his sitting position on the sofa and escorted Videl to the large patch of green grass that surrounded the quaint household. After collecting her capsules, Videl conjured up her trusty, new yellow jet-copter and turned towards Gohan. "Are you going to tell your mother about…?" Videl trailed off, leaving Gohan to connect to dots.

"Not right now. Eventually but not yet" Gohan responded coupled with a shrug.

Videl however did not seem impressed. "I still think you need to tell someone" she ordered. Gohan smirked at the girl's pushy attitude; it was now becoming more of a defining feature for the pigtailed girl rather than a simple annoyance.

"Don't worry, I know just the person to talk to" Gohan assured.

11:59 a.m. – "Vegeta can we talk?" Gohan asked reluctantly.

After the departure of Videl, Gohan made the conscience decision to seek some sort of explanations. While Piccolo was his first option, Gohan wasn't so sure he was the best. Did Namekians even dream? Regardless, after much deliberation he deduced that his 'flashbacks' were most likely a Saiyan problem rather than an easily defined psychological issue. So with no options remaining, Gohan turned to the one man that he would rather avoid.

"Talk!" Vegeta barked. "I have no intention of humouring you and your damn social problems. Don't waste my time. A true Saiyan warrior has no time for petty useless talk, unless you are game for a spar, then leave" Gohan however was unfazed by such a hollow and idle threat, after being exposed to it since Vegeta first arrived on planet earth.

"Believe me Vegeta, you're the last person I would talk to. But… This is serious" Gohan pleaded whole heartedly. The tone of worry in the boy's voice was enough he capture the attention of Vegeta. Though he wouldn't admit it, he had learnt a lot about the boy and his mannerisms over the past seven years and he knew just as well as Piccolo that Gohan never acted without reason.

"You have one minute to explain what's so damn 'serious'" Vegeta responded gruffly. Wasting no time, Gohan began retelling the events of the previous night.

"Last night I started having flashbacks of previous events while I was in bed" Gohan explained.

"So you had a dream, big whoop" Vegeta mocked.

"No! I wasn't even asleep, I couldn't sleep all night. Then my head began to hurt like nothing I've ever experienced, what followed was a series of flashbacks starting since I was four"

Vegeta suddenly stopped his tough guy demeanour for a split second, so quickly that Gohan didn't register it. "What happened in these flashbacks?"

"Well most a lot had to do with dad's death, like against Raditz and Cell"

"Did all of them involve Kakarot?"

After retelling the events in his minds, Gohan realized that all these flashbacks did indeed involve his father, mostly his father being responsible for the way he felt at the time the memories took place. "Yes" Gohan responded.

Vegeta eyed the boy for a short while, if his assumptions were correct, then it seemed this pivotal moment in the demi Saiyan's had arrived earlier than expected. "If this ever happens again, I want you to tell me" Vegeta ordered.

"What's going on Vegeta?" Gohan questioned, now realizing that the Saiyan prince had knowledge regarding to Gohan's condition.

"Nothing yet, but if it _does_ happen again you _will_ tell me, understand?"

Gohan gave the man a confused look but knew better than to argue with the Saiyan prince. It was after all a losing battle. The man may not surpass Gohan's physical abilities, but the man was capable of winning any argument with his stubborn and prideful attitude, perhaps that's why he and Bulma worked so well together. Shrugging at the thought, Gohan took his leave and blasted back home, hoping to make amends with his mother after his slight outburst while she fretted over him.

"Why was Gohan here?" Bulma asked her husband as she entered just in time to witness the teenager leaving the premises. But all she received as an answer was her husband opening the front door to Capsule Corporation and blasting into the air in a similar fashion toe what Gohan had just done.

"Vegeta?" Bulma called.

The Lookout – After touching down on the sky fortress, the Saiyan prince was met with the equally serious Piccolo who gave Vegeta a nod in acknowledgment. "I take it your here because of Gohan" Piccolo guessed.

"I know you've been keeping an eye on him, is what he said all true?" Vegeta questioned.

"His power fluctuated quite a lot last night, this morning was the same. Is it really happening? I thought you said it would take him another five or six years"

"The boy is half human, while his Saiyan genes are dominant; his human bloodline is making the process happen at a much faster rate, I was hoping it would be otherwise" Vegeta claimed with a frown.

"So what happens next?" Piccolo asked now worrying for his former protégé's wellbeing.

"The boy's coming of age; he's being plagued by the memories of Kakarot. He's lived the past seven years in denial, now he's remembering the most significant events that involve Kakarot and witnessing them from a new perspective"

"Will he do anything rash?"

"Doubtful, the boy still has some common sense; you know he wouldn't, his willingness to act is only done within reason. He's no danger to anyone but himself"

"Should we tell his mother?"

"Absolutely not!" Vegeta practically screamed in disapproval. "If anything, the harpy will make the situation far worse, imagine her finding out her son's true feelings for Kakarot, she would drive the brat insane, _then_ he _would_ do something rash"

Nodding his head in understanding, Piccolo began to wonder what sort of turmoil the boy had to endure ever since the Cell games. "Before I forget" Piccolo claimed "Gohan's power was relaxed when he was in the company of some girl from his school"

"Girl?" Vegeta questioned, to which Piccolo nodded.

"He was relaxed when she arrived and remained that way up until he confronted his mother. Then… Not so much"

Nodding his head several times, Vegeta turned to leave the lookout, before giving one last piece of advice. "Keep an eye on the boy. His body might be physically capable of withstanding the stress, but his mind may not be prepared for it. Also… Keep an eye on this 'girl', she may be the one, whether either of them know it or not"

* * *

**A much more pivotal chapter. This is practically the chapter to set up the ensuing important events in the story.**

**Hope you enjoyed it.**

**\- AUS Wild thing**


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